The Waterbender's Love and the Mechanic's Passion
by KidWolff
Summary: Post Book 4. Korra and Asami's new romantic life. They go on a romantic vacation to the Fire Nation together and Korra has a big surprise planned, but several problems arise in the aftermath. Will they be able to start a family of their own? Reminder: I do not own Legend of Korra.
1. Chapter 1

The Avatar sighed as she rested her head in her girlfriend's lap. Even as she started to snore, her girlfriend kept on driving the car. She glanced down at Korra, who had wrapped her arms around her waist. She sighed and shook her gently.

"Sweetie, wake up. You have to see this."

Korra grumbled in her sleep, refusing to wake. The heiress carefully took one hand off the wheel and laid it on her cheek. Korra smiled and nuzzled into her hand, but it was taken away just as quickly, making her groan. She slowly blinked her eyes open and stared into the jade eyes of her girlfriend.

"Well good evening, hun."

"You're beautiful…" Korra breathed.

The driver blushed as she yanked her girlfriend up. "Not as beautiful as this."

Korra gasped at the sight of the sunset before her. There were so many colors and hues mixing together, making it difficult to tell day from night. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Then she turned to her girlfriend of 6 years.

"You are most definitely more beautiful than the sunset, Asami." Korra whispered, making her blush.

"Korra…"

Korra wrapped her arms around Asami's shoulders and laid her head back down. She smirked and planted a soft kiss on her cheek, then started to head closer and closer to her lips. Asami smirked at what she was doing. Before Korra could complete her trail to her lips, the Sato quickly grasped Korra's chin and placed a forceful kiss on the Avatar's lips. Korra gasped. As quickly as it happened, it was over.

Korra fell back into her seat, flabbergasted. Her lips stung from the force of the kiss and she trailed her hand across her own lips. Asami smirked as she continued driving.

"I know you're impatient, Korra, but you're gonna have to wait until we reach the cabin."

"Yeah, and to think that we have a whole month to ourselves." Korra winked, linking her hand with her girlfriend's hand. She looked into the backseat at all the luggage they brought. "But do you really think that we needed to bring all of this just for a vacation?" Korra asked.

"Yes." came the simple answer.

Asami shook her girlfriend awake yet again as they approached the cabin. Korra clamped onto her arm as she woke up. She gazed up at the starry sky above the vacation home. Asami's parents often visited the fire nation to go on vacation and she had inherited it along with the company and mansion when her father was imprisoned.

Korra gave her a peck on the cheek before climbing out of the vehicle. Sighing, she grabbed a couple of bags and trekked inside. It wasn't like Asami was going to carry all of her luggage inside.

Korra stood awestruck in the cabin. It was stunning. The first floor had a living room with an entertainment system on the left and a huge bathroom on the right. There was also the beautiful kitchen and sitting area that was huge. It then led to the back porch. Korra looked out of the glass door to the porch and gasped. The beach was literally right there. A stairway led from the porch to the sand.

"Korra, a little help would be nice!" Asami called from outside. Korra pouted at the luggage piled in the car and carried the rest of it inside.

The second floor was smaller, as it only contained a bedroom. It wasn't even enclosed. It stood over the kitchen and was open to the whole house. There was a window right above the bed. A dresser stood on either side of the room. Asami began unpacking her dozen bags of necessities. Korra sighed at her two measly bags. It didn't even fill the dresser, leading Asami to ask to use the rest of her space. Korra obliged nonetheless.

Korra sighed as she wrapped herself around her girlfriend, making her gasp. She hadn't even made it under the covers of the bed yet when Korra pulled her close. Asami giggled as Korra snaked her hands around her waist. Korra smirked at what she was about to do.

Asami couldn't stop laughing, literally. Korra had climbed on top of her and mercilessly tickled her sides for ten minutes straight. She smiled at the sight of her girl's smile, which left her vulnerable because her tickling slowed down. Asami noticed and took the opportunity to grab Korra. She flipped them over, causing Korra to gasp, and forcefully kissed her. Korra relaxed into the kiss and laid a hand on her cheek. Asami took hold of each of her hands and held them above Korra's head. She wriggled underneath her, liking where things were headed. Asami deepened the kiss so she wouldn't noticed her taking both of her hands in one of hers. Her other hand wandered down Korra's side. Korra's breathing picked up, thinking this was headed in a completely different direction, but Asami had other plans.

Now it was Korra's turn to laugh uncontrollably. She couldn't move at all. Asami had her hands caught and her body blocked her legs from kicking. Asami didn't hold back at getting revenge either and had no mercy in her tickling. She continued until Korra could barely breathe. Even when she stopped, Korra was still laughing at the sensation in her sides. She gasped for breath with a smile. Asami let her go and cuddled into her side. Both were sweaty.

"*huff huff* I love you, Asami."

"I love you too, Korra."

Asami kissed her cheek before they both fell asleep.

Korra stirred in her sleep. The smell of maple syrup wafted throughout the cabin. She wiggled around until she fell out of bed. She rubbed her eyes at no sight of her girlfriend. Carefully she walked down the stairs and looked into the kitchen. What she saw made her smile. Asami stood in just her undergarments and wore an apron overtop. Korra crept up behind her and grabbed her around the waist. Asami jumped and gasped. She looked back and sighed at the sight of Korra.

"Korra! You scared me."

Korra just smirked in reply and started laying kisses on her girlfriend's neck and back. Asami groaned. "Do you want me to burn breakfast, sweetie?"

Korra pouted and stopped. "Noooooo…"

"Okay then let me finish cooking." She replied. Korra remained standing there, holding her waist. She laid her head on her shoulder and waited for the food to be done.

The way to Korra's heart was through food. She smiled as Asami laid a plate of pancakes in front of her and she dug in. Asami sat across from her and started eating as well. She smiled at the sight of Korra practically breathing in the pancakes.

"Korra, slow down! You're gonna choke if you eat that fast!"

The girl paused and listened to her girlfriend's instructions, gulping down the bite she had taken.

That evening the girls went out back to the beach. Korra had her water tribe swimsuit while Asami had bought the latest in fire nation swimwear. Korra gaped when she came out of the bathroom. Asami was absolutely stunning, even though she would always be beautiful.

Asami saw the way the Avatar was eyeing her and smiled. She grabbed her hand, but she was still stuck in her trance. Asami slowly laid her lips on Korra's until she knocked out of her trance. Korra finally kissed back after a minute and gripped Asami's waist tightly.

"I could get lost in the trances you put me in with your beauty." Korra hissed after breaking apart.

Asami chuckled and pulled her outside, grabbing the beach bag on the way. Korra instantly felt at home when she saw the water and ran ahead of Asami. She started setting up their towels and umbrella, but looked up at the sound of a splash and smiled. Korra was in her nature. She was diving in and out of the water like a fish. She came up gasping for air. Noticing that Asami was watching, she smirked and waterbended a huge wave. She dove again and appeared on top of the wave. Asami gasped in surprise. Korra surfed the wave back to shore and stopped just short of Asami. She shook her head to rid of the water like a dog and walked over to her.

"Showoff." Asami said, planting a wet kiss on Korra's lips. Korra smirked into the kiss and pushed into her until they fell onto the towel.

The couple continued spending their time at the cabin and on the beach for the next week until they ran out of food.

"Korra, did you eat the last of the food?" Asami asked, her face in the cabinet. When no answer came, she looked back at Korra. Korra looked guilty as she had a mouthful of noodles hanging out of her mouth. Asami face-palmed and groaned. "Korraaaa! Ugh! Well, I guess we're headed to the market."

They walked hand-in-hand as they walked down a stone path to the market. It was a pretty cool place. There was plenty of food, but there was also crafts and homemade souvenirs. While Asami shopped for food to last them another week, Korra went around to some of the vendors. She noticed a jewelry stand and wandered over. An older lady sat behind the stand.

"Why, hello young lady. How can I help you?" She greeted nicely.

"Hi! Um, would you happen to have any small gems?" Korra asked politely.

The lady smiled. "Yes I believe I do. Just hold on a sec."

She rummaged through a couple of boxes before coming back and laying a small jewelry box on the stand. Inside were plenty of gems, different shapes and sizes. Korra picked up a couple before finding a small red gem. She smiled brightly and held it up in the sunlight. She quickly dropped her hand and looked back Asami. The heiress hadn't even noticed. Korra smiled. "How much?"

Korra smiled brightly the whole trip back. She was so excited about her plan to surprise her girlfriend while they were on vacation. Oh, Spirits, she just hoped she'd say yes.

However, her smile disappeared as they approached their vacation home. The front door was busted down. Someone had broken in.

Korra growled at Asami to stay outside. Korra held her hands up in defense as she ventured in. It seemed the burglar was gone, though. Asami wandered in when Korra called to her and they looked around.

"It doesn't look like anything was stolen." Asami said afterwards.

"I think I know what they were looking for." Korra called from the kitchen. The fridge door and all of the cabinets had been thrown open.

"If they were looking for food then they surely didn't get much." Asami commented.

Korra sighed. She was mad, but it was also kind of saddening that someone out there was probably going hungry. Despite the break-in, they continued their evening together.


	2. Chapter 2

The next few days were quiet. The couple spent a lot of time just sitting together and cuddling, whether it be in bed or the couch or the beach. Korra wanted things to calm down before she followed through with her plan.

One morning, Korra decided to get up early and make breakfast for Asami for once. Nonetheless, Asami was thrilled and made the Avatar giggle as she showered her with kisses.

After that they went down to the beach and Korra offered to give Asami a massage. Again, Asami was overjoyed. She laid on her stomach on the towel and Korra climbed on top of her. Her hands rubbed all over her aching back in all the right ways. Asami couldn't help moaning in pleasure, which enticed Korra to start randomly kissing her back and neck, which almost led to other things had Korra not stopped.

Asami held Korra as they laid on the couch for a nap after spending time at the beach. Korra snuggled into her neck and wrapped her arms and legs around her. Asami smiled and wrapped her arms around her and they started dozing off. Or at least Korra was. Asami couldn't help but to think that Korra was up to something.

"Korra…"

The girl blinked and looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay? You've been acting kind of…weird today." Korra took in a breath quickly and Asami noticed. "Korra?"

"I-It's nothing! I'm just trying to reverse the roles around. Hehe…" Korra explained before hiding her face deeper into Asami's neck.

The Sato sighed and pulled her even closer. "Okay, I just wanted to be sure you were okay."

Asami was surprised yet again that day when Korra decided she would cook dinner, even though she was a horrible cook. However, Korra had another surprise, because if there was one thing she could cook it was water tribe food. Everyone loved water tribe food, even Asami.

Asami gasped when Korra placed a steaming bowl of water tribe noodles in front of her along with a plate of homemade rolls. "Korra, h-how…"

Korra beamed brightly. "You know if there's one thing I can cook, it's water tribe food!"

Asami smiled, but when she saw Korra's bright face she couldn't contain herself. She yanked the Avatar over the table and kissed her, _hard_. They continued kissing for a few minutes.

"*huff* I know you're up to something, _Avatar._ I don't know what yet, but you're doing a great job." Asami whispered, lips still touching while she spoke, and kissed her again.

Before bedtime, Korra covered Asami's eyes from behind while she was trying to read a magazine on the couch. "I have a surprise for you." Korra whispered.

Asami smiled and pulled her hands away. "Korra, I'm tired. And you've already done so much today to surprise me!"

"I know, but it's just one last thing, I promise!" Korra was smiling so much that it hurt her face. Asami sighed, unable to deny her with a smile like that. She frowned when a blindfold covered her eyes again.

"I want it to be a surprise right until I'm ready. C'mon, I'll hold your hand." Korra said, grasping her girlfriend's hand.

Asami knew where they were headed. Korra was leading her outside and helped her down the steps to the beach.

"Korr-"

"Shhhhhhh!"

As Korra led them to the beach, she started having flashbacks of when their relationship first blossomed, just before the whole Zaheer ordeal.

* * *

Korra giggled as Asami playfully handfed her noodles. They were in a public restaurant and people were starting to stare. The new couple didn't care, though. Asami laughed when Korra loudly slurped the noodles from the chopsticks that she held out for her.

That was their first date.

* * *

Korra gripped Asami's arm as she rested her head on her shoulder. They were watching the sunset in her car while spirits floated by innocently.

"Sunsets are beautiful." Korra spoke quietly.

"Nothing is more beautiful than you, though." Asami whispered back, kissing her on the cheek. She watched as Korra's face turned redder than ever before.

"Don't say things like that, Asami. It's embarrassing." Korra said, turning her head away shyly.

Asami gasped and pulled her around to face her. "Korra, I have never lied to you before and I'm not about to start now. So you better learn to listen to me when I say that you're beautiful."

They stared into each other's eyes. They slowly pressed closer until their noses touched. Korra gulped at the close proximity. Asami rested a gloved hand on Korra's cheek. Slowly she placed her lips on the Avatar's, making her blush deeper. It was slow-paced. Eventually Korra began kissing back slightly and put her hands on the other's hips.

That was their first kiss.

* * *

A knock came at Korra's door. The girl sighed dejectedly and turned her back to the door in her bed. Boots echoed off of the floor as a certain CEO entered the room. "Korra? Is it okay if I come in?"

Korra bit her lip to stop herself from crying before she was forced to look at the girl. The boots came closer until they stopped beside her bed. "Korra, please, I'm here for you. Just talk to me."

Asami sat down beside her and began to rub her back. It took all of Korra's current strength to not whimper at the touch. Asami felt the girl tense up and paused. "Korra, just tell me what you want and I'll do it."

She touched Korra's arm, but the girl recoiled and pulled away. Korra glanced at the wheelchair waiting at the end of her bed and cringed.

Korra's raspy voice finally came out weakly. "Can you kill me?"

Time seemed to freeze. Asami's eyes went wide and her lungs stopped working. They began working again when Asami finally felt the need to breathe. She immediately screamed at the girl still confined to her bed. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?!"

She paused to give Korra a chance to reconsider her words, but she remained silent. Asami grabbed Korra and forced her to face her. Her eyes were devoid of color and her whole appearance seemed gray. Her face held no expression, throwing Asami off. "Why?" Asami asked.

Korra sighed and avoided her eyes. "I've been in Republic City for just a year and I've already had three different people try to kill me. Zaheer almost succeeded. I mean seriously, look at me! I'm paralyzed! It could be permanent! I'm so weak right now I can't even bend! The world doesn't need an Avatar like me! They didn't want me in the first place! I should just go ahead and die so the next Avatar can do a better job than I have."

Asami was speechless. She had no idea that Korra felt this way, though the girl never expressed these feelings to anyone ever before.

"…H-How long have you felt like this?" Asami asked gently.

Korra gulped. "Awhile… Before the whole Zaheer thing happened."

Asami felt like she had been stabbed in the heart. Some girlfriend she's been – she didn't even know about this! It made her feel stupid. Tears built up in her eyes and a few escaped. She went to wipe them away but Korra grabbed her hand. Through her bleary vision she could see Korra's scared expression.

"I-I'm sorry Asami! I shouldn't have said anything."

"Why? So you can go kill yourself later?!" Asami replied, pulling her hand away. Korra gasped and looked away. "I won't let you do that to yourself, Korra. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you with me."

Things went silent after that. Korra rolled back over and hugged herself. Asami heard her sniffling and saw her body shaking. The woman ran her hand through her own hair and then crawled into bed with the Avatar. She tensed up again as Asami hugged her tight.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad like that. But you're gonna get through this Korra, I promise. I'll be here to help you heal." Asami whispered.

Korra whipped around and grabbed onto Asami. She then started to sob into her shirt. Asami took a breath to calm her nerves and hugged Korra tighter. "You're gonna be okay, sweetie…"

That was the first time Korra admittedly needed help and Asami was there to pull her through.

* * *

The door to Asami's office creaked open. Damn it, Korra thought at the noise.

Asami didn't budge from her work, though, making Korra frowned. She laid her hands on her shoulders and began massaging them. The heiress relaxed a little and finally acknowledged her girlfriend by glancing back at her.

"Asami, come to bed. It's late and you haven't gotten enough sleep lately." Korra coerced.

"Korra, I know you mean well, but I can't. This paper work has to get finished before the business meeting in a few days." Asami said, pointing to the huge pile of paperwork.

Korra sighed and pulled her hands away. "Fine. Whatever." She huffed dejectedly and started for the door.

"What is wrong?" Asami demanded, crossing her arms and swiveling her chair around to her.

"What's wrong? Seriously? You mean you don't know? I thought for sure the Sato heiress would know everything." Korra started. Her body was now burning with anger. Asami just stared back at her.

"What's wrong is that you've been spending way too much time in here with work and not taking care of yourself or spending time with me!"

"Oh, so that's what this is about, right? It's about you. The Avatar doesn't get what she wants and throws a temper-tantrum!"

"What?! I do not! I'm your girlfriend! You need to set your priorities straight!"

"Oh, and like you don't? You're always running around doing Avatar duties. What about me?! You just leave me here so you can go fight crime or give political speeches!"

"What do you want me to do about that?! Huh?! Because I'd love to hear a way out of being the damn Avatar!"

Before Asami could make another remark, Korra sped out of the room.

The next morning, Asami ventured into their room after finishing some work, figuring that her girlfriend would be in bed. However, she wasn't there. She wasn't even in the house. Asami looked everywhere in the mansion. She was gone, but Naga remained in the living room. That confused her because Naga went with her almost everywhere.

Suddenly a couple maids ran into the room. "Miss Sato!"

"Calm down, what's wrong?" She asked.

"Avatar Korra is in the training yard. She appears very upset, Milady."

Asami's heart fell into her gut. She ran out the backdoor towards the training area. She gasped. Ice shards stuck out from the walls. Earth blocks were thrown around haphazardly. Fire still burned on the ground and encircled the Avatar, who laid in the middle of it without a care in the world. Sweat dripped down her face.

"Korra!"

She gasped and sat up. Her eyes widened and she quickly put out the fire. "Asami…W-what are you doing here?"

"Besides the fact that this is my house, I came to make sure you were okay, which clearly you aren't."

"What do you care? You're too busy with work." Korra retorted and turned her back to the heiress.

"Korra, don't be like that. You know I care more about you."

Korra hung her head and gripped her arm in anxiety.

"Korra?"

"Stay away. I don't wanna hurt you." Korra said. Blood was seeping through her fingers. Asami noticed a large cut in her arm and various other scrapes.

"Korra, you're hurt. Let me look at it, hun."

"Asami, please… I'm not completely in control right now. You need to leave."

"I'm not leaving, Korra. Just talk to me. I'm right here."

Korra glanced back towards her girlfriend.

"I'm just scared… After last night I've been so upset that I unleashed all of my pent of anger through bending. And angry bending is bad bending." While she spoke, Asami crept closer and closer. "I just care about you. I don't ever want to hurt you. I just want to spend more time together. But right now…" Korra jumped at the touch of a hand on her shoulder. "A-Asami, you shouldn't-"

"Korra, you don't understand how much I care about you. I'd give my life for you. I love you so much. I'm sorry I made you feel this way."

Asami hugged her like life itself depended on it. Korra eyes went wide and her throat went dry. She blinked tears away as the girl's hug tightened.

"I love you, too, Asami."

Their first fight, but also their first 'I love you's.

* * *

Korra was brought out of her thoughts by the touch of sand on her feet. They had some rough patches in their relationship every now and then, but they'll always love each other. She giggled at Asami's curious expression. She kept trying to ask her what was going on, but Korra would shush her.

Korra had her stand on the red carpet she had set up. Red ribbons and flowers littered the beach. Then she gracefully used her firebending to light up the tiki-torches that encircled them.

Asami felt herself step onto a rug of some sort. It felt silky compared to the grainy texture of the sand. She rubbed her toes into it. Through the blindfold she saw lights get turned on around them. She was so tempted to rip the blindfold right off.

Then Korra spoke after taking a gulp. "Okay, Asami. Go ahead."

Korra had felt so confident about this, but suddenly she became extremely nervous and her heart started pounding faster.

Asami lifted the blindfold and immediately covered her face in shock. She was surrounded by lit torches and was standing on an expensive silk carpet. Flowers and ribbons surrounded them all the way from the porch to the shore. The sun had just set. The sky was brilliantly dark blue and the stars shone perfectly. The fire shone against Korra's dazzling skin as she was kneeling on one knee in front of her, holding a water tribe betrothal necklace in her hands. Her head was bowed down. Asami became short of breath and noticed Korra had as well.

Asami couldn't even speak. Had Korra planned this entire thing?

Korra took a deep breath before quietly speaking. "When I first met you, I never would have imagined we would end up like this. I never thought I could love like this. But impossible things became possible again with you. I couldn't imagine my life without you. You are the light to my dark. I get up every morning just because I know I have you to wake up to. I love you more than anything, even bending. We've been together for six years now and I think it's time for us to take the next step… Asami Sato, will you marry me?"

Asami's eyes had widened once Korra started talking. Her hands dropped from her face.

Korra worried when she didn't reply. She was about to stand up when she was suddenly tackled into the sand. Lips attacked hers and arms hugged her close. Relief washed over her.

"Yes! Of course, yes! Korra, I love you with my whole heart!" Asami practically screamed after pulling her mouth away from hers.

Korra smiled brightly as she held up the necklace, making Asami's heart jump. It was a typical Southern Water Tribe betrothal necklace, but it there was a slight difference she noticed. There were four gems on the front of the cloth. Blue. Green. Red. Yellow. And then there was the medallion, which had a wave crashing into a gear.

"The gems stand for the four elements in the order that I mastered them. I wanted to show somehow that you belonged to me, the Avatar. I hope it's not too much…" Korra commented.

Asami gently took it and clipped it around her neck. "Korra, it's perfect. You've really outdone yourself today."

Korra blushed deep red. Asami chuckled and noticed that she was still in the Avatar's lap. She smirked and went back in for another kiss.

Korra's heart fluttered. She grabbed Asami's waist and pulled her as close as they could get. The Sato's breath hitched and she grabbed her girlfriend's face. Tongues started venturing out. Asami pushed her down and latched onto her neck. Korra's hand immediately grabbed Asami's gorgeous dark hair. She breathed harder as Asami started peeling away clothing in her journey to explore her body. Her hands began wandering over her abs. She really enjoyed feeling up her sculpted body.

She jumped when Korra suddenly ripped off her shirt, exposing her to the air. She shivered. It became Korra's turn to ravage her body.

Korra dragged her tongue across her neck momentarily before attacking her neck. Asami ran her fingers through her short hair. She then pulled her away from her neck.

"I don't think I express how much I love your short hair now." Asami commented. Korra blushed. Before she could stutter out a reply, Asami planted a kiss on her lips.

Korra scrunched her eyes tight. The Sun was coming up. She looked around and suddenly remembered last night. She was naked, laying on top of their clothes to protect them from the sand. Asami laid naked on top of her, using the red linen as a blanket.

Korra gasped and pulled her now fiancée close to her. She looked around quickly. Good thing this was a private beach. No one would ever know what they did that night. Something wet planted itself on her jaw, then pulled away.

"Good morning, Korra."

"Morning beautiful." Korra replied smiling. "Asami, last night…that was incredible."

Asami giggled. "I could say the same thing to you, hun."

They'd had sex before, but that was their first night of true love making.


	3. Chapter 3

Korra gawked at Asami while she made breakfast. Both of them now wore oversized shirts and panties. Korra hadn't even noticed that she had set a plate down in front of her because she was staring so much. Asami snapped her fingers in front of her face, waking her from her trance.

"Hehe, sorry." Korra apologized sincerely, rubbing her neck in embarrassment.

Asami said nothing but laid a kiss on her forehead. Korra watched her sit down and begin eating. The Sun glistened off of the betrothal necklace, making Korra felt proud and accomplished for proposing to Asami.

The next few days were full of much excitement, with plenty of kisses and love-making, hair pulling and ass grabbing. Moans often filled the house and the bed hit the wall as it shook. Sweat covered the sheets as well as other bodily fluids.

One evening while things started getting heated in the bedroom yet again, the sound of a door creaking open failed to alert them to an intruder.

The intruder blushed at the sounds of love coming from the bedroom, but she proceeded to the kitchen.

Korra felt like she was being watched, that someone else was in the house. Something like an Avatar sense. She pushed her girlfriend away suddenly.

Asami frowned. "What's wrong, babe? I can stop if-"

Korra slapped a hand across her mouth. "Shhh… Something feels off… Stay here for a minute…"

She pulled her top back on and quietly stepped down the stairs. As she reached the bottom, she saw a shadow in the kitchen. She watched for a minute as the person gathered an armful of food, already eating a mouthful of food.

The intruder was short and skinny. There was a small bag on their back, presumably filled with food. As Korra walked closer, she noticed tattered clothing and choppy hair. Dirt covered the intruder head to toe.

The girl paused, wide-eyed. The noises from upstairs had ceased. She looked up and saw a tan woman approaching her. Dropping the food in her hands, she got in a defensive stance as she got closer.

"Easy does it, kid. I won't hurt you. In fact, I can more than likely help you." Korra said.

The girl's green eyes widened again as she realized who was standing in front of her. "A-Avatar?"

Korra stood up straight, surprised. "You know who I am?"

The girl nodded. "A little bit. I'm sorry I intruded." She dumped the food from her bag and made way for the backdoor.

"Wait!" The girl paused. "You can have some of the food if you want. We have plenty, and I'd feel bad if you starved."

The girl cautiously looked between Korra and the food on the table. She gulped before taking an armful of food and ran off.

Korra felt arms wrap around her neck from behind. "You did the right thing, Korra."

"I didn't get her name. And I should've offered her to stay."

Asami was about to reply ignorantly when she remembered Mako and Bolin's story of living on the streets.

"…If we see her again, we can make that offer."

* * *

The next day, the couple went down to the beach to cool off. Korra was splashing water on Asami when she noticed a shadow under their umbrella. She quit throwing water. "Asami, look!"

Asami smiled when she saw the girl and crawled out of the water with Korra. Upon their approach they noticed a wide variety of open cuts and quills sticking out of her body. Asami gasped and Korra sprinted to her side.

"What happened?!"

The girl spoke in a raspy voice. "I figured I could come to you for help. Heh, I got into a fight with a boar-q-pine. I think we all know who lost."

Korra carefully pulled the quills out of her body before waterbending water from the ocean. The water circled over her back and lit up. The girl sat in awe as Korra healed her. Then the Avatar carried her inside to let her rest on the couch.

"I never got your name by the way." Korra said.

"Riko."

Korra watched as her girlfriend laid a blanket across the young girl on their couch. She had quickly grown sleepy. Asami ruffled her hair as her eyes drooped.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked before they went to bed.

"Because we're nice people and you needed help, silly." Asami replied.

Riko blushed and hid her face in the blanket.

"Night, Riko."

"Night, Avatar."

Korra awoke to the smell of breakfast and yet again fell out of bed. She groaned and made her way to the kitchen. She gasped when the couch was empty of a girl.

"Don't worry, Korra. I have a feeling she'll be back." Asami called from the stove.

"What makes you say that?" She asked.

"Breakfast."

Sure enough, after they had sat down to begin eating, someone came around to the backdoor and pouted to come in. Korra had noticed that she was walking on all fours and sat down like a dog. She remembered seeing her sit like that on the beach yesterday, too. She remained quiet though as the girl sat down beside them after Asami let her in.

"Your cooking is delicious, Ms. Sato." Riko commented.

Asami laughed. "You can call me Asami. And be happy Korra doesn't cook around here."

Korra pouted in response.

The girl left again after breakfast, but returned for dinner and ended up staying the night on the couch again. This continued for many days with no problems. The women enjoyed her company.

* * *

"Korra?" Asami asked one night.

"Hmm?" Korra mumbled in her sleep.

"I've been thinking about something. It'll probably surprise you. You might even think it's crazy and say no, but-" Asami spoke quickly.

Korra held up a finger on her lips to stop her. "Baby, what is it?"

Asami sighed. "I was thinking that we, um, adopt, Riko…"

Asami saw Korra freeze and quit breathing for a minute. The thought had never even crossed her mind.

"Korra? Korra! Korra?!" Asami called. She had climbed on top of her to shake her out of her reverie. She placed her hands on either side of her face. Korra gasped. She hadn't even noticed Asami on top of her.

"Korra, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even said anything about it."

Suddenly she was pulled in close to her. "Babe, I would love that."

"But we've never even talked about having children before." Asami said.

Korra smiled. "No, but I think the world brought Riko to us because we're ready for it."

The next morning was different. Of course, Riko had run off before breakfast, but she didn't return when breakfast was ready.

"Korra, I'm worried." Asami said.

Korra swallowed a bite of food before speaking, "Don't worry about her, Asami. I'm sure she just got caught up in forest business."

"What makes you think she's in the forest and not the streets?" Asami questioned.

"Babe, you've seen how she walks and stuff, right? And she got into a fight with a boar-q-pine, remember. I'd bet on it that she lives in the forest, though I guess it could be a combination of both."

Asami sighed, "Even so, if she doesn't return by dinner then we should go look for her."

Korra swallowed her bite and agreed.

When dinnertime came and Riko wasn't back, Asami started freaking out.

"Babe, calm down! I'll go look for her."

"I'll come with you, Korra!"

"No! Someone needs to be here if she returns. I'll go, you stay put." Korra demanded. Asami sighed and pouted when Korra ran outside.

* * *

Riko had managed to avoid another fight with the boar-q-pine in her morning escapade. She outran the wild animal and hid in a tree for a good hour after it disappeared. Then she hopped out of the tree and continued roaming the forest.

This is what she did every day. The forest had become her home. Even some of the animals looked up to her.

Monkeys jumped from tree to tree above her. Riko smiled and joined them. They jumped all the way to the river. There she handed out bread crumbs and got a drink from the river. She growled a goodbye to them afterwards and started to make her way home.

As she walked home on all fours, her gut told something bad was about to happen. It made her go into high alert, looking all around. However, she failed to look at the ground and stepped right into a bear trap. Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Birds flew away at her resounding scream.

Eventually her body started going into shock. It numbed her body, which aided her in her attempt to escape. She tried pulling her arm out but that only made it worse. She tried using her other arm to pry it open, but she was too weak.

'Sigh, I hope Korra and Asami come looking for me soon.'

Hours painfully ticked by.

Blood was heavy in the air and Korra cautiously followed it. She wriggled through the bushes and wildlife that covered the forest. She heard a gasp as she popped out of the bushes.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment. She saw Riko passed out face down on the ground, her arm snared in a steel bear trap. Blood pooled around her.

As time unfroze, she slid to her side. "Riko? Riko?! Wake up, please!"

"Korra…?" she whispered. Her eyelids were heavy.

"Don't fall asleep, sweetie! I'm gonna get you out of here!" Korra yelled.

Korra used all of her strength to pry open the snare. It reluctantly started to open, but it wasn't enough for Riko to pull her arm out.

Something else seemed to have followed the scent of blood. Riko gasped at the sight of the same boar-q-pine that had been chasing her.

"Shit!"

Korra looked up at her cursing and then noticed the wild animal about to charge.

"Shit's right! Ugh, open already!" Korra yelled.

The boar's feet started pounding towards them rapidly. Korra was determined to open the trap. She tried metalbending, but the trap was made of high grade steel so it would take her just as long to metalbend it compared to forcing it open. The animal approached them fast. Korra was about to be forced to let go of the trap and its teeth would dig into Riko's arm again. However, that didn't happen.

Korra saw Riko bring her other arm up and smash it into the ground. Her eyes grew wide. Earth rolled towards the boar-q-pine and sent it flying across the forest.

Finally the bear trap opened up enough to release Riko's arm. It snapped shut again as she pulled away. Both of them were gasping for air.

"You… You're an earthbender?!" Korra asked. She reached out to pick her up.

Riko was breathing heavily. "Um, y-yeah... Sorry I didn't tell you."

"Don't worry about that. Let's just focus on getting back home."

Asami jumped when she heard Korra yelling from the front door.

"Asami, start the bath!"

Her voice worried her until she saw Riko in her arms. She dashed into the bathroom and did as Korra commanded. Warm water filled the tub. Korra gently laid her in the tub and began healing her arm.

"Korra! What happened to her?!" Asami yelled.

"She got caught in a bear trap. I think she'd been stuck for a few hours. Grrr, I'm not a skilled enough healer to fully fix this. This is a major injury as it is."

Asami found a medical kit under the sink and showed Korra. She grimaced. She was able to heal it somewhat, but it would take stitches to put it back together. She didn't want to resort to that, but Riko had already passed out.

Korra exhaled as she demanded a needle and string. Once put together in her hand, she grabbed the arm. She hesitated before digging the needle into the skin over and over again.

After numerous stitches, too many to count, they peeled her dirtied and bloodied clothes off of her. They decided to give her a bath for once since they met her. She desperately needed one anyway.

* * *

Riko groaned as she woke up in pain. She noticed she was in a bed and that she was in new clothes. She also felt clean for once. She blushed at the thought that they bathed and dressed her.

"Hey, you're up!" Korra called as she reached the top of the stairs. She sat down beside her and rub her fingers through the girl's now clean hair. Korra obviously had just gotten out of the shower. Her hair was still wet and she was in shorts and a t-shirt. The shower could be heard from downstairs as Asami took her turn.

"You sure gave us the scare."

Riko pouted. She looked down and noticed the bandages covering her arm. She wiggled closer to the Avatar. She felt the need to be close to her. Korra smiled and climbed into bed with her. The kid hugged her and fresh tears came from her eyes.

"Thank you Korra, for saving me. I'm sorry about burdening you both like this."

Korra hugged her back. "Riko, you're not burdening us. We love having you around. We actually wanted to ask you… Do you want to return with us to Republic City? As our child…?"

Riko stared at her for a minute before smiling wide. "Avatar Korra, I would love that!"

"Would love what?" came a voice from the stairs.

Riko and Korra gasped at her beauty. Her curly black hair hung around her shoulders perfectly. Her whole body glistened from the shower water. She wore short shorts and tank top.

Riko blushed and hid her face behind Korra.

"Babe, she said she wants to go home with us." Korra replied, smiling.

Asami suddenly smiled wide and hugged both of them.

"So, we're gonna be a family?" Riko asked, embarrassed.

Asami kissed her forehead and pulled her close. "Yes, dear, as long as you want to be in our family."

Suddenly they heard a sniffle. Asami felt hot tears hit her shoulder and she pulled back enough to see Riko crying. "I-I haven't had a family in s-so long. I'm so happy to be with you now."

Asami smiled, but Korra had to ruin the moment.

"Riko, you never told us about your real family or how you became homeless."

"Korra!" Asami scolded. "You can't just ask her-"

"*Sniff* It's okay, Asami. You should know."

"My parents died when I was four. We had moved here after I was born to escape the Earth Queen's tyrannous reign. One day we were attacked by bandits. My parents weren't benders. We were pretty much defenseless against firebending thugs…"

* * *

Young Riko stood behind her daddy's leg, scared. They were surrounded by firebenders.

"Give us all your money and valuables and no one will have to die today."

Her father handed over a few measly coins. He held his wife close.

The head bandit frowned in disapproval. "Really? This is it. I don't believe that. Do you guys?" The group shook their heads. "See? This is what happens when you make us mad. Now it looks like we have to kill you all."

Riko shut her eyes and gripped her daddy's pants leg tight. "That's all we have I promise. Just let us go!" Her father yelled.

A thug punched her father in the gut. Riko jumped back and started crying.

"Sir? Look at your daughter. You don't want us to kill her, do you?"

Her father shook his head. "Don't you dare touch her!"

Two thugs had started digging in his pockets and found a few extra coins.

"Please! We'll starve without that!"

The leader chuckled and kicked him. "I told you the rules. Now you'll pay the consequences!"

The thugs attacked them. One directly went for Riko, but her mother stood in the way. The man stabbed her mom.

"Riko, r-run!" She coughed before collapsing.

Riko's wide eyes cried and stared at the man that just killed her mom. Without a second thought, she took off running into the woods. Two other thugs chased her into the woods. They caught up to her quickly and produced flames in their hands. They threw it at her, expecting her to catch fire and die. But something else happened – something big.

Riko sat hunched over, but her arms were raised. When the fire never hit her, she looked up and gasped. A wall of earth protected her. The men ran around the wall and tried firebending again. And again walls of earth rose to protect her.

She and the thugs realized that she was earthbending. They groaned as more walls rose to surround her. They protected her from their flames. No matter how hard the men tried, they couldn't penetrate the earth walls. Their leader even tried for an hour before they gave up and left. They figured that she'd die of starvation since no one was there to take care of her anymore.

Time didn't exist in her hut. She sat in her earth dome for days before someone stumbled upon it.

A hunter came upon a fort made of earth. Inside he heard crying. He decided to try knocking on it to get the person's attention.

"Excuse me, are you okay in there?" He called.

Slowly the walls fell back into the earth and the man jumped back at the sight of a small girl. He picked her up and dashed back to the village nearby.

There, his family helped her get back on her feet. They fed her, gave her clothes, but more importantly, gave her mental stability again. After spending two years with them, she ran away to live her life in the wild. It's been four years since then.

* * *

"My parents never thought I would be a bender, since neither of them were benders. And I didn't start bending until their deaths. So I sparsely use it unless it's necessary…"

All three of them were crying. Asami pulled the girl into her lap and hugged her close. Korra joined them and hugged both of them.

Asami shakily spoke, "My mother died at the hands of a firebender as well, Riko. I understand… I didn't know you were an earthbender, though."

"I hope you understand." Riko cried.

"We do Riko, but bending is a great gift." Korra stated. "I bet your parents would be proud of you to use that gift."

Riko nodded slightly and pulled her into the hug.

That night, Riko slept in between Korra and Asami in their bed as both of them held her while they slept.

Riko would be their first child.


	4. Chapter 4

"Korra, c'mon! We're running behind schedule!" Asami yelled from outside.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you helping carry any of your bags to the car? Noooo…" Korra complained.

Riko giggled, sitting on the front lawn of the cabin. Her arm was still bandaged tightly. Today they were leaving the fire nation and returning to Republic City. As Korra carried the last of the bags to the car, Asami ran back inside to make sure nothing was left behind. She lifted Riko into her arms on her way back to the car.

"Okay, we're all set. Everyone ready?" Asami said.

Korra had already jumped in the passenger seat in excitement. Riko looked excited, too. She had never been in a car before. Korra sat her on her lap and Asami climbed into the driver seat. Riko was giddy with excitement. She gripped the side door as the car engine started.

"Korra, hold on to her. I don't want her flying out of the car." Asami demanded.

Korra smiled and hugged her arms around Riko's waist. "Roger, captain!"

Asami laughed and they sped away.

A few hours later they made it in time for the ferry back to the earth kingdom, which then took another 3 days. Once they made it back on land, it was another day's drive to Republic City.

Towers and bright lights came into view on the night horizon. Asami smiled at the sight of home and she shook the two girls awake.

Riko jumped up in amazement, making Korra quickly grab her before she fell. The girl gripped the windshield and stared at the big city. They drove into the city and Riko couldn't help but to look all around her. The city scene was entirely new to her. She gasped at every new thing she saw.

Her eyes bulged when they pulled into the driveway of a huge mansion. "No way…" She whispered.

Asami giggled. "Yep, this is our home sweet home!"

The house doors swung open as two men ran out to greet them home. "Korraaaa! Asamiii! I missed you!" Bolin cried.

"Bolin, c'mon, give them some space." Mako said, grabbing his brother.

"Where have you been?!" Bolin continued. "Naga has been going crazy as have I with you gone!"

Korra giggled. Riko sat on Korra's shoulders as they approached them.

Both men stared at her. Mako was the first to say something. "Umm, Korra? Why is there a little girl on your shoulders?"

Korra sweat-dropped. Nervously she answered, "Um, well, we, uh, we sort of adopted her."

"What?!" Both men screamed.

"Calm down! You might scare her!" Korra hissed.

"Do you want to introduce yourself?" Asami asked, pulling her off of Korra's shoulders.

"Um, hi I'm Riko." She said, then hid behind Asami.

"You really adopted her?" Mako asked seriously.

"Yes, is that a problem, Mako?" Asami asked sternly. Her hand landed on her hips. Mako didn't want to pick this fight and he was aware of that and said nothing more about it.

However, Bolin bent down to her level and approached her. "Hi, my name's Bolin! That grump over there is my brother Mako. So what happened to your arm?"

Riko giggled at Bolin's funny manner. "Well, uh, I got stuck in a bear trap."

"Wow! That must've been scary!"

"It was, but Korra saved me."

Bolin smiled at her and then at Korra. "I like her, Korra. She's nice."

"That's great and all, but can someone help carry the bags inside?!" Mako pleaded. Bolin rushed over. Korra grabbed a couple bags and Asami pushed open the doors. Korra was quickly ambushed by a mass of white fluff.

"Naga!" Korra screamed happily. She dropped the bags and cuddled with the polar bear dog. Riko stood staring at the creature. Korra grabbed Riko's hand and laid it on the animal's head. Riko smiled and started running her hands through her fur.

"Naga, this is Riko. She's gonna be staying with us from now on." Naga barked back. "Riko, this is my polar bear dog Naga. Don't worry, she won't hurt you." Korra said.

Korra then went to help carry the rest of their belongings in while Riko pet Naga.

While they were unpacking, Asami noticed that Bolin was staring at her. She put her hands on her hips and he still stared.

"Bolin?"

He remained in his thoughts for a minute before his eyes widened and he yelled out. "Asami! D-Did Korra… Did K-Korra p-propose to you?!"

Mako dropped a bag. "What?!" That's when he noticed the blue betrothal necklace around her neck. He turned to Korra. "You asked her to marry you?!"

"Yeah, is something wrong with that?" Korra was starting to get ticked off with Mako.

"Yeah! Why didn't you tell us?! Or at least me?" Bolin cried out. "I can't believe it. I'm so happy for you two! When's the wedding?!"

Korra laughed. "Bolin, settle down. We haven't sat down to discuss the details yet. And I didn't tell you because… Well, because I was scared that if Asami said no…"

"Korra." Asami cooed. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "You had nothing to worry about. There's no way I would've said no to you."

Korra blushed and gave her a peck on the lips.

Mako groaned and marched away. He tried to remain indifferent to the girls' relationship, even though he still liked both of them, but if they got married his chances were long gone.

Asami sighed when they boys finally left. She was really tired and she could tell the girls were too, since they had fallen asleep on the couch. She shook Korra awake, and then Korra carried Riko to bed with them. Again, Riko slept in the middle of the two girls and they cuddled her as they slept.

* * *

Riko woke up when someone shook her the next morning. "Nghhh, nooo, I don't wanna get uppp…"

"Oh, but I thought you wanted to see the city so badly?" Korra teased.

Riko blinked her eyes open and quickly sat up in bed. She smiled and Korra carried her to the bathroom down the hall. Asami was still in the master bathroom getting ready.

Korra and Riko were waiting for Asami by the front door for another hour.

"I wish I could just take you on Naga." Korra complained.

"Why can't we?" Riko asked.

"Sigh, Asami wants to buy you new clothes and stuff. So we have to take the car."

"I hope that's not a problem." Asami said, coming down the stairs.

Riko smiled nervously. "No, that's fine."

Asami parked along a street full of shops. Riko jumped out of the car before Korra could grab her. She ran after her and swooped her up in her arms. Both of them laughed and Korra put her on her shoulders before following Asami to a clothing shop.

Korra facepalmed at the store. Of course, Asami only wanted her child to wear the best, but this was overdoing it entirely. It was one of the fanciest stores in the whole city.

"Asami, I know you want what's best for Riko, but this is too much. She doesn't need or want expensive clothes like this. I mean, she's only ten. She'll feel intimidated. She needs something comfortable and easy to run around in." Korra said, halting before they walked in the store.

Asami sighed. "Fine then, Avatar, where do you suppose we go shopping?"

Korra smiled and dragged them to a different clothing store down the street.

"Korra, this is an everyday type of store." Asami complained.

"Exactly." She replied. She pulled Riko off as they walked in.

Riko smiled. This store seemed more of her style. Korra walked with her through the clothes racks. Asami pouted, but Riko was enjoying herself. She watched as Korra picked out some clothes and sent Riko to go try them on. Asami smiled. Korra was picking up the responsibility of parenting a lot easier than expected.

Korra jumped when her fiancée grabbed her waist. "I like seeing you do things with Riko. I knew I was right when I thought you would be a good mother."

Riko peeked out of the stall and smiled. Asami had crept up from behind Korra and made her jump. Riko giggled as Korra blushed at her simple touches. She opened the door and the two women smiled at her.

"Those are perfect!" Korra exclaimed.

They were simple training clothes, but it was comfortable. The couple bought multiple other outfits. Training gear. Regular clothes. Dress up clothes. Pajamas. Everything you could think of. And of course Asami was paying for all of it.

Riko saw the total cost ring up at the register and jumped. "Asami, you don't have to do this. Really! That's a lot of money and I don't need all of this!"

Asami shoved a hand over her mouth and bent down to her level. "You still haven't realized who I am, have you?"

Riko peeled her hand away slowly. "Um, I know you're probably related to the Sato's."

"Riko, I'm the daughter of the creator of the Satomobile. I inherited the company from my father. I'm the CEO of the company now. And I have no problem for paying for your clothes or anything you need. You're my daughter now and I'm gonna take care of you."

Riko's eyes widened as she took in the information. Eventually she smiled. "So I have the Avatar and the CEO of the Sato Company as mothers. Heh… That's crazy."

Korra picked her up to put her on her shoulders again. She and Asami carried the bags back to the car. Then they showed Riko more of the city. It was more than she could've ever imagined. She gasped when they drove past the statue of Toph.

"Is that Toph?!" Riko yelled.

Korra suddenly smiled at Asami. She slowed the car down and pulled into the police station. Riko exclaimed when Korra picked her up out of the car and put her on the sidewalk. Asami got out of the driver side.

"Korra, what're we doing here?" Riko asked, curious.

"This is the police station, home of the metalbending police. Toph's daughter is chief of police here. Do you want to meet her?"

"Would I ever!"

"I'm forewarning you, she can be quite the grump." Korra warned.

Riko pouted. "More of a grump than Mako?"

Korra had to hold in a laugh. "Yes, definitely more than Mako sometimes."

She held Riko's hand as they walked in. Desks were on both sides of the room and many officers frantically ran about the room. They heard yelling come from the back office, making Riko gulp in nervousness.

"Get out of here and don't come back until you have that evidence!"

Korra laughed as another officer fell victim to Lin's rage. He ran out of the room and into the streets. Korra inhaled deeply before knocking on the metal door.

"Who is it now?! It better be important!" Lin yelled, yanking the door open. "Korra, what do you want?" That was when she noticed the little girl with her. She took a deep breath to calm herself in front of the child. "Who's this kid? I've never seen her around here before. Did she do something?"

Korra laughed nervously. Some of the officers were silently listening. "Chief, why don't we talk in your office?"

The Chief sighed and allowed them in the room. She could feel the nervousness rolling off of the child. Her curiosity peeked her interest. "So?"

Korra laughed nervously again. Riko pouted and grabbed her hand.

"Well, uh, Lin, we sort of, err… How do I say this?" Korra mumbled.

"We adopted her." Asami spoke up.

Both Lin's and Korra's eyes widened. Riko grabbed Asami's hand, too. While Lin took in the information, Asami smiled. However, Korra grabbed her shirt and pulled her close. "What the hell was that?! You were so blunt about it!" Asami casually pushed her away and they awaited Lin's reaction.

Suddenly Lin shook her head and laid a hand to her forehead. "I'm sorry. I thought you said you adopted her."

"I did say that."

Lin sighed. "Well…that's great girls. I'm happy for you. Just make sure she stays out of trouble."

Now Korra smiled. "T-Thanks, Chief! I promise she'll stay away from trouble! Except for wanting to meet you."

"Why would she want to meet me?" Lin asked.

Asami leaned down to her daughter. "Why don't you introduce yourself, hun?"

Riko nodded and stepped up nervously. "H-Hi, I'm Riko, and I'm an earthbender…"

Lin's brows raised. "An earthbender? Oh, okay! That makes sense now." She paused. "What happened to your arm?"

Riko squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed her arm. "I got trapped in a steel bear trap. It injured me pretty badly."

"That's awful!" Lin replied honestly.

Korra and Asami told Lin bits and pieces of their story.

Lin chuckled. "Have you told Tenzin?"

Korra started freaking out, her hands grabbing her hair. "Oh no! Tenzin! I haven't even told him! Oh crap! What do I do?!"

Asami took hold of her arms. "Korra!" The Avatar paused. "We can just go tell him now, okay?"

Korra loosened up and nodded. "Yeah… Yeah, okay. I'll just go tell him. Right…"

Asami sighed and started leading Riko out of the station. "See ya, Chief!" She called.

Korra stood for a second before following them. "Korra!" She looked back at Lin. "Riko seems like a nice girl. You better be a good mother to her, or I'll have to beat you up."

Korra snickered before running off. "Will do, Chief!"

Lin chuckled as the door shut. She saw the necklace around Asami's neck. Korra had failed to mention it to her, but she knew.

* * *

Korra became even more of a nervous wreck once they sat down on the ferry to the island.

"Korra, it's gonna be fine! You're an adult now! It doesn't matter if Tenzin doesn't agree with it, even though I highly doubt that he will!" Asami said, trying to comfort her. Riko held her hand during the boat ride.

As they approached, the air children ran out of the house in excitement. "Korra! Asami!" They hugged them and then went to Riko.

"Who are you?" the boy asked.

"Um, I'm Riko."

The kids smiled nicely. "Nice to meet ya! I'm Meelo! These are my sisters Ikki and Jinora!"

They seemed like they were around her age or a little older. Suddenly a younger boy came spinning out to them.

"Who's he?" She asked.

"Oh, that's our little brother, Rohan." He looked about maybe 5 years old, but he was already airbending.

"Kids, c'mon in. We need to have a talk with everyone!" Asami called from the porch.

Riko followed them inside past a kitchen to a nice dining room. She saw both of her moms sitting there alongside a man with airbender tattoos and his wife. Asami pulled her down to sit next to her. The four children sat in the empty seats around them.

Korra coughed. "So, uh Tenzin, how's everything been lately?" She was attempting small talk before revealing their surprise.

"Ohhh, things have been alright. Rohan is airbending more every day. Everyone seems to be growing up lately."

Korra and Asami chuckled nervously in response. "Well, that sounds great Tenzin! Asami and I just returned from vacation in the Fire Nation. It sure is different there and I missed Republic City." Korra rattled on and on.

At some point during Korra's rambling, Pema noticed the necklace around Asami's neck. "Asami?" Everyone looked at Pema. "Um, did Korra…?" She motioned to the necklace around her neck.

Korra's face went completely red. "Um, yeah! About that, ummm…"

"Korra, did you propose to Asami?! Why didn't you tell us?" Tenzin asked upon seeing the necklace.

Asami blushed a little bit. "Just so you know, I said yes."

The air family jumped up and squished the couple into a big hug. Riko slid away to give them space in their moment.

"Riko?"

She looked up. Asami was motioning for her to come to her. "You're a part of this family now, too."

Quietly, she slid into Asami's side and hugged her.

"I don't mean to implore, but did that mean something more, Asami? I could just be overthinking it." Tenzin asked.

The Asami laughed nervously again. "Yes, well…"

She looked to Korra. Everyone let go of them and were waiting for an answer. Korra took a breath. "This is our daughter that we adopted. Her name is Riko."

Tenzin and Pema stood there shocked. In the meantime, the kids had rushed Riko with affection.

"So we're kind of like cousins now, huh?" Ikki said.

"Yeah, we're family!" Meelo yelled.

Riko smiled while they continued babbling on about being family.

"Where did she come from?!" Tenzin asked.

Korra scratched the back of her neck. "Well, we sort of stumbled upon her while on vacation in the Fire Nation, but she's from the Earth Kingdom."

Pema told the kids to go play outside while the adults talked. "Well, I think that's a lovely thing for you to do Korra. There's so many orphans still in the world."

Tenzin sighed, agreeing with his wife. "So, what's her story?"

The couple sighed as they retold Riko's story.

"So that's what happened to her arm. And she's an earthbender? I would've never guessed." Tenzin exclaimed at the end of their tale.

"She went through an awful lot for a kid like her." Pema commented.

"Yeah, she did. I could see it when I first saw her. That's why I wanted to take her in." Asami replied dotingly. She saw the kids running around outside through the window. Riko looked like she was having fun.

* * *

"We'll come back right? I had so much fun with them." Riko whined.

Korra laughed. "Of course we will. They're family."

Night had already fallen by the time they arrived back home. Riko had fallen asleep in the car. Korra carried her inside and laid her on their bed. Asami hugged her from behind and started kissing her neck. "I think we need to get Riko her own room."

Korra held in her groan. "Asami, we can't, not now…"

"Korra, she's passed out from exhaustion from today. C'mon, I'm gonna go take a shower. You're welcome to join me." Asami whispered, winking at her.

Korra stood there for a minute while the shower turned on. She slapped her forehead and walked into the huge bathroom. Asami was sitting naked on the sink, looking like she had been waiting for her. Korra blushed, but still slammed her hands on either side of the sink. She inched closer and closer until their lips touched. Asami helped her out of her clothes before slamming her into the shower wall.

Riko jumped at the sound of something hitting a wall. She blinked her eyes open before they widened at the sounds coming from the bathroom. She blushed when Korra started moaning.

"Shhhh!"

"Well you're the one who started it!"

"Just shut up already."

Riko sighed and went back to sleep.

She smirked when she felt the two women climb into bed with her some time later. She hid her face in the pillow so they wouldn't see her smirk. They wrapped their arms around her like every night and happily went to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Someone was shuffling in the bed. She shifted from side to side, not finding comfort anywhere she turned.

In her mind, she was stuck in a dark room. She felt for the cold earth, thinking it would comfort her, but it did no such thing. She pulled her knees close to her and hung her head. The air reeked with depressing smoke. It fell to her body like snow and its depression melted into her. Her heart felt dark and empty. She felt something wet seep through her shirt. She saw the blood pooling around her but did nothing to stop it. She felt worthless. She didn't even feel like bending. Suddenly the room started heating up. The earth wall turned red as fire burst through the wall. She jumped back and fell. The man who killed her family haunted her in her dreams still. She froze, unable to protect herself. He produced a flame in his hand and smirked. "Any last words?" Then fire engulfed her vision.

Riko sat straight up and ran her fingers through her hair. She breathed heavily and her eyes were widened slightly. She knew she was sweating badly and looked at the now soaked sheets. She groaned. Her arms were shaking and she was burning up with fever.

"Huff, I'm… I'm fine. I'm fine…" She whispered to herself. "It was just a dream."

Asami felt the preteen jump out of her arms. She blinked her eyes open and heard her talking to herself. "It was just a dream." She saw the sweat still rolling off of her and sat up.

"Nhg, Riko? Are you okay?" Asami asked sleepily.

Riko sucked in the air. "A-Asami, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I-I'm fine."

Asami ignored her and pulled her in for a hug. "You're obviously not fine. What happened?"

"I…I just had a bad dream. That's all."

"That's all? You can talk about it if you want. I've got plenty of experience with Korra's nightmares."

Riko looked back at the Avatar, who was still sleeping contently. "She has nightmares?"

"Yeah. It's kind of part of being the Avatar. She's been through a lot as well."

"It's just… It still haunts me. That day. I can't let it go…"

"And that's okay for now. We're here to help you, though, and we'll get you through this."

Riko looked back at Asami and hugged her tight. Asami saw tears clouding her eyes and comforted her. The hot tears hit her shirt. They sat like that until the Avatar stirred in her sleep. She opened her eyes and saw her fiancée and daughter cuddling. She smiled until she saw the mess that Riko was in.

"What happened?" Korra asked sleepily.

"She had a bad dream." Asami replied.

Korra paused, before tackling them in a big hug. "It's alright, sweetie. We're here for you. We'll always protect you." She cooed, rubbing the girl's back. The girl started crying more, unable to hold it in anymore. "It's okay, just let it out." They comforted her until she fell asleep from crying. Asami gently laid her down and turned to Korra. Korra had already wrapped her arms around Riko and pulled her close next to her.

"She'll be okay, Asami, eventually, but for now, this is all we can do."

Asami sighed and laid down with them, wrapping her arms around Riko as well.

Riko woke up early the next morning and only saw Asami in bed. She panicked, but Asami grabbed her before she could run.

"Korra is just outside doing early-morning training. She's fine, go back to sleep."

Riko breathed heavily before cuddling into Asami's side. She couldn't fall back asleep, though. "Asami?"

"Hm?

"I can't go to sleep."

"Do you wanna go watch Korra?"

Riko smiled and nodded her head yes. Asami smiled, too. She shivered as they climbed out of bed. She led her through the house until they came upon the backyard. Riko saw Korra through the window. Asami opened the door and they sat down on the stairs that led to the arena. The Sun had barely started to come up, but Korra was here training. Riko watched in awe as she bended all four elements. Asami sighed happily at the sight of Korra training.

Korra felt like she was being watched. Then she saw the duo watching her and waved at them. She smirked sneakily and started bending earth more.

After watching Korra bend earth for ten minutes, Riko spoke up. "She's doing this on purpose, isn't she?"

Asami giggled. "Perhaps. I know that she really thinks you should use your bending more."

Riko hugged her legs close to her. "I've been thinking about it actually. Ever since I met her, I've felt the urge to bend grow stronger. I don't feel the need to hold back anymore. And then we came to this city and my eyes have opened up just a little bit…"

Both of them sat in silence, except for Korra's grunting, until Asami spoke up. "Would you like Korra to teach you?"

Riko's eyes lit up. "If there was anyone I'd want as a teacher, it'd be Korra."

Asami stood up and dragged Riko to the arena. Then she pushed her towards Korra.

Korra saw Riko walk up to her and smiled. "Riko? What're you doing?"

"Um, Korra, I… I would love it if… Could you teach me?!" Riko asked nervously.

Korra's smiled widened. "Of course! C'mere!"

Asami watched happily as Korra taught her the basics. She would correct her stance once in a while and show her the right way to bend. Riko smiled more as she started picking up on things.

They had been training for an hour and Asami had already gone inside to make breakfast when Riko suddenly groaned in pain. Korra saw blood start seeping through her bandages. "Oh okay! We're done for today!" She exclaimed and carried her inside.

Asami saw the duo run past the kitchen and called for them. "Korra?!" She shrugged and continued cooking. After she finished a few minutes later, she went looking for them. She heard a gasp as she passed the hall bathroom and backpedalled.

"Korra? What's going on in there?"

"Asami! Ah!" Something fell. "Nothing! Um, just fixing up Riko's arm."

Asami became mad. She slammed the door open, nearly hitting Korra. "Korra! Really?! Ya know, they have these things called doctors!"

"She doesn't need to go to a doctor! I patched her up! I can fix it!"

"Both of you shut up!" The couple paused at Riko's yell. "Just take the stupid stitches out of my arm! I'll be fine. Korra's right."

Asami scowled. Korra finally found the medical kit. Blood dripped off of Riko's arm through her stitches. Korra grabbed a small pair of scissors and looked at Asami. The CEO understood and sat next to Riko to hold her hand. Riko gripped her hand tight while she willed her body to numb her other arm. Korra breathed in and out before making the first cut. A few snips later, the string was ready to be pulled out.

Riko bit her lip as Korra pulled the string through her skin. She grunted as she felt the string leave her body. It bled for a few minutes. Asami reached for a towel to hold against her arm. They sat there until the bleeding stopped. Korra had pulled the towel away, making Riko hiss, and dabbed the remaining blood off.

"See? All better." Korra said quietly.

Asami still scowled. "What caused it to bleed like that?"

"I don't know! We were just training and it started bleeding. She probably just trained for too long, that's all."

"Can I have some medicine for this?" Riko asked in pain.

Asami stomped out of the bathroom. Korra pouted and started wrapping new bandages around her arm. "She'll get you something for it."

Korra walked back with Riko and both of them jumped when they saw the pancakes stacked in the middle of the table. Asami grabbed Riko before she could devour the pancakes with her mother. She handed her a small clear cup with orange liquid in it. "It's medicine. Drink it before you eat."

Riko nodded. She gripped the cup nervously before downing the liquid in one swig. She shivered off the bad taste. She looked at Asami, who nodded her head to eat. Riko smiled and joined Korra.

Asami sighed at the two girls leaning over in their seats. "You always eat too much."

Korra mumbled something incoherently. Asami ran her fingers through Riko's hair. "And you need a haircut." She simply stated.

Korra jumped up, thinking she was talking about her, but realized that she meant Riko. She looked at her shaggy hair and reluctantly agreed.

Riko pouted as Asami drove them to a barbershop. The door dinged as they walked in.

"How can I help ya folks?" An older man called from around the desk.

Asami greeted him, pointing at Riko. "Hi, umm, we just need something done about this mess."

The man laughed and led the girl to a leather chair. He put what seemed like a giant bib on her. He scuffled her hair quickly before looking at the mothers.

"Anything in mind?"

"Something has to be done about it. Just trim it, make her look like a girl again." Asami replied.

He smiled as he got to work. The couple watched Riko pout the whole time. She squinted her eyes as hair fell onto her face.

He suddenly spun her around after about 20 minutes to face the mirror. "So? What dya think?" He asked.

Asami and Korra stood up and looked in the mirror. "Oh, it's great! That's just what she needed." Asami complemented.

Korra actually smiled too and ruffled her hair, making small hairs flit through the hair. "I like it, actually."

Her old shaggy head of dark hair was gone. Now it was trimmed neatly. It was a lot shorter and you can see her face now. The man spiked it up a little bit to give it style. It was kind of boyish, but Riko liked it. "I like it, too."

They paid the man nicely and drove back home. He went wide-eyed at the wad of cash in his hands and happily waved at the couple. "Come back anytime!"

As they pulled up to their home, Riko yawned. Korra chuckled and carried her to their bed. She was asleep before even hitting the sheets.

Korra chuckled. "So about that new room?"

Asami grabbed her, leading them to a room down the hall. Inside were things to decorate a room: a couple of paint cans, paintbrushes, boxes full of things to put in the room.

"I've got it taken care of. Some men are coming today to start painting the room."

Riko slept on as the men arrived to start working on the room. It was far away enough so that she shouldn't be able to hear them working. When she woke up, she wandered down the hall to see what was going on. She was yanked back before she could open the door.

"Ah, ah, badgermole, that's a surprise." Korra said. Riko pouted and moped away.

This continued for a week straight. Riko would try to peek in and either Korra or Asami would always catch her in time.

One day when she knew neither of them were on the second floor, she snuck over to the room. The door creaked as it opened, making her wince. She paused once she was in the room.

The walls were painted an earthy green. There was a simple full-size bed in the center of the room with an earth kingdom bed set. A badgermole stuffed animal sat against the pillow. There was a huge closet and dresser with her belongings in it. She even had her own bathroom. She walked around the room inspecting everything.

"Do you like it?"

Riko jumped. A figure leaned on the doorframe confidently.

"Y-Yes."

"Good! Asami worked hard for you to have this."

"This is…mine?"

Korra chuckled. "Yeah! You'll need your own space soon. You won't be able to stay in our room forever – Oof!"

Riko had tackled her into a hug. "Ma, I love it! Thank you both!"

Korra blushed. She had never called her ma before. Nonetheless, she hugged her back. "I think you have someone else to thank, badgermole."

Riko gasped and ran through the house looking for Asami. Korra watched her daughter quickly run out of the room to find Asami and sighed. For a while now, Korra had been comparing Riko to Kuvira, remembering that she was an orphan as well. She now understood what Kuvira had wanted along, but the dictator failed to realize how many more orphans there would be as a result of her reign. What if someone had just been there for her more? Of course, there was Su, but the woman had a huge family to care of as it was. Kuvira never had a real family. A mother to pay attention to her. A father to teach her how to bend. But did Riko really have anything in common with the dictator other than being earthbending orphans? Korra rubbed her temple. She was thinking too hard about this. Kuvira wasn't worth her time anyway. She heard laughter down the hall and followed it with a smile. She had her own family to take care of now.

"Momma!"

Asami jumped at the sound that pierced the silence of the library. She turned and saw Riko grabbing her neck nervously. Asami too had blushed when Riko called her momma. Riko ran around the loveseat and tackled her into a hug. Asami smiled and hugged her in return.

"T-Thank you for the room. I love it!"

"I'm glad, sweetie."

Let's just say that night things got quite heated in the couple's room as their daughter was sound asleep in her new room down the hall.


	6. Chapter 5-1

Korra tucked in the blankets under Riko's small body. She chuckled as she lightly tickled the young child's side, making her giggle. Korra sighed and turned the light off, about to walk out of the room.

"Wait, ma…" Korra paused and looked back. "Can you tell me a story tonight?"

Korra beamed brightly and sat back down on the bed. "I sure can, my little badgermole. What do you want to hear tonight?"

Young Riko seemed to ponder over it for a minute, poking her lip with her finger. "Tell me a new story."

Korra smiled, seemingly thinking it over. "Okay, I've got a story for ya. There once was an heiress who fell in love with the master of elements. Things were rocky in the beginning, but they grew to become best friends and even lovers." Riko giggled, knowing that she was talking about her and Asami. "They confessed to each other in the best way possible…"

* * *

Korra nervously gripped Asami's hand harder as they finally came out on the other side of the Spirit World. Her throat went dry at what this vacation really meant for them. She had almost ruined everything for them when she disappeared for three years. Did Asami still really want her?

Asami noticed Korra's change in demeanor and gently squeezed her hand. "Korra, you okay?"

Korra blinked and smiled brightly up at her, but Asami saw right through it and sighed. "I thought we were passed all of that."

Korra's smile faded, not understanding what she meant. Asami rested her hand on her cheek, making Korra go wide-eyed. "I told you I've already forgiven you. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Korra gulped and dropped her head, now understanding Asami's words. However, the heiress quickly pulled her back up. "I won't have you getting all depressed on me again, understand? We're here for a vacation."

Korra sighed. "How can you possibly forgive me?"

Asami pressed closer to her. "Because I love you, Korra." Then she softly kissed her.

Tears dripped from Korra's eyes as she returned the kiss. Suddenly Korra pulled away and more tears cascaded down her cheeks. "I'll never leave you again, Asami! Just please give me another chance!" Korra cried.

Asami instantly shushed her and carefully rubbed her tears away with her thumb. "Korra, it's okay! I was going to ask you if you wanted to try us again. I guess that's a yes." She softly chuckled. Korra frantically nodded her head. Asami sighed and pulled the Avatar in for a hug. "I love you, Korra."

"I love you too, Asami." Korra continued to cry.

Then Asami smiled and began pulling Korra away from the portal. "Asami, where are we going?" Korra sniffled.

"I don't know, Korra. You better take the lead from me before I get us lost. I've never been to the Spirit World before, remember." Asami smiled as Korra instantly cheered up and reversed roles with her, taking the lead.

"I know where we should go first!" Korra cheered.

Korra smiled as she watched the two smartest people she knew play an intense game of Pai Sho. She quietly sipped her tea so as to not disturb them. Asami rubbed her chin, trying to find a weakness in her opponent's game. So far she was drawing a blank. The old man in front of her chuckled. Asami bit her lip as she finally made a move, immediately regretting it afterwards when the old man won. "Oh no!"

"I told you he was good." Korra commented.

"It was a good game, Asami. Why, I haven't had such a great opponent in years!" Iroh bellowed out in laughter.

Asami chuckled in defeat. "I can't believe it. You're an incredible player."

Iroh smiled at her. "Well practice makes perfect, sweetie. I'd love to have you return for a rematch."

"I would love to. Thank you very much." Asami replied with a smile.

"I'll make sure to visit more often Iroh. We have to get going though. There's so much more I plan on showing her." Korra said.

Iroh took their empty cups and smiled. "Thank you Korra. It is a blessing to see you both. I hope your break goes well."

They thanked Iroh and began venturing through the Spirit World again. They took a break under a giant willow tree and Korra fell asleep not long after that. Asami giggled when the leaf spirit from before showed up and sat in Korra's lap. Asami raised her finger to signal it to be quiet and the spirit nodded before settling down in the Avatar's lap.

It didn't take long for other spirits to find them, and just after a couple of minutes, they were surrounded by spirits on all sides. Asami smiled as several more small spirits cuddled up to Korra. A few even curled up next to Asami as well. Eventually Asami was led to sleep while being surrounded by such warm-hearted spirits.

Korra woke up and smiled. Asami was resting her head on her shoulder, holding a cuddly spirit in her arms. She looked around and quickly realized that many other spirits had joined them in their nap. She let out a quiet chuckle and leaned back against Asami again.

In that moment, she knew: Asami was the one she wanted to be with for the rest of her life.

* * *

Korra made funny hand motions as she talked on. "After tea with Iroh, we rode on the great dragon's back and had this amazing view of the Spirit World! We did so many amazing things in that week."

Riko yawned and laughed. "It sounds fun."

"It is fun! Maybe we can take you there sometime too." Korra said excitedly. Riko scowled, uncertain about it. Korra saw it and gave her no time to think about it. "Or not. We don't have to if you're not up to it, badgermole."

Riko smiled softly and leaned back into her pillow. "Thanks ma. You're the best."

"Nah, Asami is the best, don't cha think?" Korra said.

Riko laughed, refusing to answer that loaded question. Korra smiled and ruffled her hair before tucking her back into bed.

When Korra finally exited the room, someone was waiting for her out in the hallway. She blushed slightly and walked over. "Were you listening to the whole thing?"

"Most of it." Asami replied with a grin. "I love how you tell her these great bedtime stories. But I think there's a few holes in tonight's story."

Korra smirked and rose a brow. "I was trying to keep it kid-friendly. Do you want me to go back in there and corrupt her more than she already is?"

Asami laughed and dragged her away. "No, no. It's fine, dear. I just think maybe I should remind you of what happened during that vacation."

Korra picked up on her suggestion. "Even though the only thing we did in between all of that was make out? It took us awhile to actually do anything."

Asami huffed and pulled her in close by her collar. "You know what I meant, _Avatar_. Do you want to or not?"

Korra smiled. "Yes ma'am."


	7. Chapter 5-2

"Girls, I'm home!" Asami hollered as she hung her coat on the rack by the door. She shook the snow off of her hair and stumbled out of her boots. "Girls?" No reply came so she anxiously walked deeper into the house.

She paused and leaned on the wall of the living room with a smile on her face. A half-full bowl was on the coffee table along with a cup of tea that had gone cold. Different children's medications lay askew across the table. A box of tissues had been all used up. And the ever-so-stubborn Avatar was laying wrapped up with their sick daughter. A thin blanket was thrown over her shoulder while she gripped the child lovingly with several thick blankets.

Both of them were soundly asleep. Luckily Riko had her back to Korra so she wouldn't cough on her absentmindedly. It was the earthbender's first winter _ever_ and she wasn't handling it very well.

Asami ran a hand though her hair the way that she does. "Oh Korra…" She sighed and wandered into the kitchen. The counter was a mess from Korra trying to cook Pema's cold remedy. She chuckled and remembered the first time she made it for Korra.

* * *

"Korra, I'm back! I got some medicine just in case!" Asami yelled into the empty house. Korra was in bed upstairs, _or should have been_. Asami had started pulling ingredients out of the cabinets when she heard steps coming down the stairs.

Asami sighed and exited the kitchen. "Kor, I told you to stay in bed. I'll bring the soup up…" The rest of her words died out as she saw Korra approaching her.

Korra slowly shuffled towards her. She had about 3 big blankets bundling her up. Her cheeks were red with fever and her hair was disheveled. A faint pout graced her features.

Asami blushed embarrassingly. She shook out of it and scowled playfully. Then she walked over to her girlfriend and pulled the blankets tighter to her weak body. "You're lucky you're cute, you know that?"

Korra smiled faintly and nodded. "I know."

"I don't know how in the world you got sick but I'm going to make sure you get better as soon as possible. I stopped by the island and Pema gave me her recipe for her soup. It'll help you for sure." Asami rambled on. Then she noticed Korra swaying a little. "Korra?" Suddenly her legs gave out from under her. "Korra!" Asami instantly caught her and dragged her over to a couch. She wrapped the blankets around her again and then felt her forehead. "Oh no, you're burning up. Korra, wake up! You need to take some medicine!" But Korra was out like a light. Asami growled and ran into the kitchen to find the phone.

"If she doesn't wake up soon she's going to need to be taken to the hospital."

"How did this happen? Korra doesn't just get sick like this!"

"I'm not sure, Ms. Sato, but it's happening now and we need to take care of it."

"*sigh* Okay, I understand. Just give us a few more hours."

Korra could faintly hear the argument happening outside of the room. She pried her eyes open and was met with a fuzzy darkness. She groaned as her body pain returned, but the softness of her blankets comforted her. She located a bag hanging from a post and finally noticed the IV in her arm. All of a sudden the door opened and Asami sat down in a chair beside her bed, dropping her head into her hands.

"Asami?"

The CEO jumped up and alarmingly looked towards her. "Korra!" She swung her arms around her shoulders and pull her into her chest. "You scared the hell out of me, Avatar."

"I'm sorry."

Asami slowly pulled away and pushed back Korra's messy hair. "You have nothing to be sorry for. This isn't your fault. I called my doctor and he's been taking good care of you."

"Is that who you were arguing with outside?"

Asami sighed. "So you heard that." She pressed the back of her hand to the Avatar's forehead. "Don't worry about it. You're awake now. And it seems like your fever is going down at last."

Asami glanced down at her girlfriend. Korra's eyes had glazed over a bit, but she still reached out to hold her hand. Asami looked down at their conjoined hands then looked back up. "Are you hungry? I made Pema's soup recipe."

Korra smiled her signature smile and nodded. "Yeah, sounds good."

Asami chuckled and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "You're a dork, you know that?"

"I know."

* * *

Asami wiped off the counter. She then started making a fresh bowl of soup for Riko. Random coughs and sneezes could be heard from the other room. Asami sighed. Hopefully Riko wouldn't be as bad as Korra was, but seeing as this is her first winter, it might prove to be difficult.

Asami held the steaming bowl with a pot holder and carefully walked back into the living room. She sat the soup on the table. She gasped when she heard a deep chuckle from the couch.

"Hi, babe."

Asami looked up and saw Korra watching her from behind their daughter. "Hi, sweetie. How has Riko been all day?"

Korra sighed. "She's getting worse, but I think Pema's soup will help."

Asami smirked and rose a brow. "But I see that you made her some soup."

"Yeah but you know I'm not the best cook. She barely took three bites before pushing it away."

Asami giggled. "I kinda figured that. That's why I made another bowl."

The small bundle in Korra's arms began fidgeting around. She peeked her head out from underneath the covers. "Momma?"

Asami softly smiled at her and rubbed the top of her head. "Hey there hun, how're you feeling?"

Riko stuck her tongue out. "Like blah…"

Asami reached for the soup. "Well I made you some fresh soup. Would you like to try to eat? I promise you it's better than Korra's."

Riko giggled but then coughed. "Alright, I'll try."

Korra helped Riko sit up and sat her in her lap. Riko poked her arms out from some mysterious gap in the blankets and grabbed the bowl of soup from her mother. She shakily took a bite and immediately she lit up. She blinked before devouring the dish. Asami and Korra watched happily as the color returned to the girl's face and her normal energy started coming back. They turned to each other and started laughing.

"Pema is a miracle worker."


	8. Chapter 6

Korra stood in front of the mirror nervously. Today was the day. She was wearing a blue tuxedo and was trying to tie on the bowtie. A knock came on the door. Lin walked in and helped her with her bowtie problem.

"Are you ready?"

"Heh, I'm nervous as hell, Lin."

"I know, but don't be. Everything will be perfect. I just checked on Asami." Korra looked at her expectantly. "You know I can't say anything, Korra. That would ruin the wedding tradition."

Korra groaned and they finally tied the bowtie correctly.

"C'mon. We need you to start the ceremony." Lin dragged her out of Tenzin's house on Air Temple Island.

Korra walked onto the makeshift stage. Everyone was already in their seats. Tenzin and Pema sat in the front row. Their kids sat behind them excitedly. Pema would occasionally turn around to scold them. Korra's parents, Senna and Tonraq, sat beside Tenzin. Katara was there, too. Mako and Bolin sat in the row next to them. Bolin waved excitedly, but Mako smacked his hand down, making Korra laugh. Lin walked up and sat beside them. She smiled reassuringly at Korra. A bunch of other random guests and family continued to find their seats, all dressed for the occasion.

Korra's heart raced as the piano finally started playing. She stared down the aisle. Naga appeared with Riko on her back. Riko was wearing a similar tux, as she refused to wear a dress. She and Pabu started throwing blue flower petals around them. And then the heiress appeared, making Korra stop breathing.

She wore the perfect white dress that accentuated her curves. Diamonds littered the dress, which went to drag on behind her. Her hair was curled more and it bounced as she walked down the aisle.

Korra blushed as her fiancée approached the stage. Her eyes were wide. She breathed out her loved one's name and Asami smiled at her. Naga led Riko and Pabu to the side of the stage.

The priest started the ceremony. Then came the vows. Korra gripped Asami's hands lovingly.

"Asami, I wake up every day with a smile on my face. Everything is a treasure because of you. Every breath I take is meant for you. I live this life surrounded by joy." At this point she glanced at Riko, who smiled. "And I bathe in your love. My soul belongs to you. One by one, you found the pieces and put them back together again. I will never feel lonely again. My life has so much meaning now, all because of you. I promise to be there for you through thick and thin, rich or poor, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life. Asami Sato, I love you. My love for you exceeds the limits of this world. I would be honored if you were to become my wife."

Asami was crying, but luckily her makeup was waterproof. She gripped Korra's hand tight. "Damnit Korra, now I'm crying." Asami whispered. The crowd chuckled.

Asami sighed before saying her part. "Korra, because of you, my world is whole again. Love lives in my soul once more. You are my pillar, my stone of strength. My love for you is pure, boundless through time and space. It grows stronger every day, knowing that you'll always be mine. You buried my shame in the depth of the sea and cast my fears to the bed of the ocean. You carried my hopes to the end of the earth, and enriched my life with love. As far as the east is from the west, you removed past guilt from my mind." Asami sighed. "Avatar Korra, I love you with all of my heart. I love you to the moon and back. I promise, through the good and the bad, for better or worse, until death do us apart. And I too would be honored if you were to be my wife."

Korra smiled brightly. They looked to Riko and motioned her over. She blinked and hesitantly walked over. She didn't know better, but they had been practicing with her walking on two feet, just for this moment. She blushed in front of the crowd.

Her mothers bent down to her. Korra spoke first. "Riko, we fell in love with you the moment we first saw you in the Fire Nation. You have been our pride and joy ever since we took you in as our daughter. We promise to protect you no matter what."

"It would be our honor if you took the name Sato and became our daughter." Asami said. Riko started crying and jumped into their open arms. Both women gave her a kiss on the cheek. The crowd awed. Korra pulled out a cord-woven necklace. Asami took it and placed it around Riko's neck before it clicked. Riko smiled and touched the rainbow colored necklace.

"If we ever aren't there and you're scared or feel weak, just hold on to that necklace. It holds energy to keep you strong. It'll keep you safe." Asami stated.

Riko coughed as she held in her tears. Korra gripped her shoulder as the priest continued.

"Do you, Avatar Korra, take Asami Sato as your beloved wife, till death do you apart?" He said.

"I do." Korra stated, staring directly into Asami's eyes.

"And do you, Asami Sato, take Avatar Korra as your beloved wife, till death do you apart?" He said again.

"I do." Asami stated, returning Korra's gaze.

"Then I humbly pronounce you Mrs. & Mrs. Sato! You may now kiss the bride!"

Korra immediately pulled Asami close to her and kissed her like the world was ending. The crowd cheered and clapped. Asami gasped as they broke apart. Both of them were blushing.

Asami motioned over Riko again, but this time she knew what was happening, as this was previously planned by Asami.

Asami spoke once more to Korra. "Korra, I have this beautiful betrothal necklace to show the world that I belong to you. I think you should have something too, so Riko and I did a little shopping…"

Riko pulled out a small box from her pocket and handed it over to Asami. Korra gasped. Inside was a simple wedding band with a clear aqua stone in the center. Asami held her hand and she slipped the ring onto her finger. Korra had to cover her mouth, she was so overjoyed. "Now you're mine."

Riko sat on Naga, smiling brightly as her moms walked back down the aisle. Naga followed behind shortly, almost making her fall off, but she laughed.

The after party was just as great. Everyone changed out of their stuffy dress clothes and into more comfortable clothes. Then they headed down to the pavilion. A disco ball was set up and music started playing. There was cake and wine. People were dancing and eating and conversing with one another. Riko sat with Meelo as they ate plates and plates of food. Jinora was sitting in her boyfriend Kai's lap. He stuck icing on her nose and laughed, but licked it off. She pouted and kissed him on the lips.

Asami found Riko stuffed with food. She covered her mouth, trying to hide her giggle. "Hey, Riko, do you wanna dance with momma?"

Riko smiled. Asami picked her up in her arms and led her to the dance floor. They danced around the ballroom until they found Korra and Bolin, who were dancing together to the music. She laughed as Bolin tried showing off his "moves." She bounced Riko in her arms until Korra noticed her.

"Does Riko want a turn to dance with ma?"

Riko opened her arms to her and climbed into her arms. Asami laughed. Korra swung her around and danced with Riko in her arms.

* * *

"I don't want you to leaveeeee!" Riko cried.

"Sweetie, we talked about this. You're gonna stay with Uncle Tenzin for a week while we go on a short vacation." Asami cooed. They were sitting on Tenzin's front steps. Korra pouted. She didn't want to leave Riko, but she and Asami hadn't had much time by themselves and very much needed this honeymoon.

"I'm sure you won't even miss us. You'll have so much fun with Meelo and Ikki."

"Don't be stupid, momma. Of course I'll miss you!" Riko cried, tightening her grip on her mother.

Pema came out to help Asami get her death grip off of her. She pulled her off and held her in her arms. Asami gave her a quick kiss before running away. Korra went to give her a kiss as well, but Riko caught her.

"Badgermole, don't be like this. You know we have to go." Korra persuaded. Riko sniffed and let go. "Thank you." She gave her a quick kiss. "Tell Tenzin to call us if something comes up, but ONLY if it's an emergency." Korra yelled at Pema as they ran to the boat.

Riko started crying when her parents disappeared. "Awww, come here, why don't we find Uncle Tenzin and bug him?" Pema cooed. Riko nodded sadly.

* * *

Korra smiled as they approached shore. They had rented out a cabin on the shores of the Earth Kingdom. They wanted to remain close to home in case of emergencies. That had also let Korra persuade Asami to only bring two bags.

This cabin was much different than the one in the Fire Nation. There were many Earth Kingdom qualities to it all contained on one floor. Korra sighed as she collapsed onto the bed. Asami straddled her, wasting no time on their honeymoon.

Korra smirked. "In a hurry?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

It was their seventh day of their honeymoon and they were trying to have as much sex as possible before they returned to the city. They had sex almost nonstop for the whole week. The couple laid breathing heavy in the bed, sheets soaked, body groping each other tiredly. Korra was about to start another round when the phone abruptly rang. Asami groaned as Korra answered the phone breathless.

"Y-Yes? This is Avatar Korra."

"Korra! Good to hear you! Ummm, you're returning tonight, correct?"

Korra sighed. "Are you finally getting tired of her, Tenzin?"

"N-No no, it's not that! Um, spirits, how do I say this…?"

"Tenzin, what're you going on about?"

Asami had now sat up next to Korra. The conversation going on worried her.

"Korra, don't freak out when I tell you this… Riko, er, had a little accident."

"What do you mean?" Korra growled. Asami had already gotten up to collect their belongings.

"Kya has already started healing them, they're gonna be fine."

"Tenzin, what happened?!" Korra growled threateningly.

He sighed. "Riko and Meelo were training in the courtyard. They knocked each other out using their bending. Riko got the worst of it, though."

Korra slammed the phone down.

* * *

Korra almost jumped Tenzin when they arrived at Air Temple Island. Asami held her back, though. She growled as they were led to the room holding their daughter. Kya was treating her when they walked in.

"Korra, she's gonna be okay. I promise."

Korra walked past her and sat next to Riko on her bed. Asami apologized as she walked by. Riko was still knocked out. A wet cloth lay on her forehead.

"She's sustained a serious concussion. Meelo did too, but he's woken up by now." Kya told them.

"How bad? Like is there any permanent damage?" Asami asked.

"I won't lie, it's bad, but I don't think there will be any long-term effects. If anything, she might have slight memory problems." Kya replied.

"How exactly did this happen?" Korra growled.

Kya sighed. "Riko and Meelo were training outside, just like normal. They were fine. But then they both bended at each other at the same time. With both of them focused on hitting each other, they failed to defend themselves against the other's attack. Both of them got hit pretty hard. Meelo hit a tree, but Riko… She slammed full-force against the side of the house."

Korra held the bridge of her nose. "Is there anything you can do?" She pleaded.

"No. I'm afraid there isn't much else I can do. With a serious head injury such as hers, it's best to let it heal partly on its own. I did what I could Korra. She'll recuperate faster thanks to the healing, but she still needs time to recover."

* * *

"How could this happen? Maybe we aren't meant to be parents yet…" A voice cried out beside Riko. She felt someone gripping her hand and a wet cloth on her forehead. A wet drop then hit her hand. She tried opening her eyes but was met with blinding light. She groaned and started moving about. "Riko?"

The hand holding hers left and grabbed her face. She leaned into it. She couldn't see, but she knew who it was. "Ma?"

"I'm here, sweetie. How do you feel?"

Riko tried opening her eyes again but was unsuccessful. "I'm in so much pain and I can't see."

Korra's heart fell. "What do you mean you can't see?"

Riko had enough strength to sit up and put a hand to her head. "My head's pounding." She groaned. She was starting to see but everything was blurry. "When I opened my eyes I could only see white, but I think it's starting to let up. I can see you now but it's blurry."

Korra climbed into bed with her and held her. "I'm sure it'll let up. Just give it time."

Asami walked in and nearly screamed. "Kor – Riko!" She tackled them in a hug. She gently kissed Riko on the forehead. "We were so scared! How do you feel?"

"She's having problems seeing." Korra told her.

"Should I go get Kya?" Asami asked worriedly. Korra nodded.

"So ya finally woke up?!" Kya exclaimed. Riko giggled and nodded. "Asami said that you're having problems seeing."

"Y-Yeah, but it's coming back slowly."

"Yeah that might happen. You hit your head pretty hard, but it'll come back to you… What do you remember?" She asked seriously.

Riko paused for a while. "The last thing I remember is the wedding…"

Kya grimaced slightly. "That was a week and a half ago."

"W-Wait, h-how long have I been out of it?" Riko questioned fearfully.

No one responded. Kya spoke up first. "It's been about 3 days since you were knocked out."

Riko jumped out of bed, stumbling past her parents. "Riko!" They yelled. Kya grabbed her before she ventured far. "I know this is hard to hear."

"H-How?! The last thing I remember is the wedding! How can I not remember anything after that?!" Riko yelled.

Kya held her close. "It'll come back to you! Eventually. You have to give it time, Riko. You need to rest."

Riko cried for a minute before passing out again.

* * *

She woke up back home in her bed. The blinds were shut, keeping the room dark. A cup of tea was beside her bed, but it had long since gone cold.

She grabbed the headboard to help herself up and stumbled down the hall. She saw a light in her mother's office. She peaked in and saw Asami working on some blueprints. "Momma?"

Asami swiftly spun her chair around. "Riko, you should be in bed!"

"How long was I out that time?"

Asami hesitated. "You've been sleeping all day today."

"Where's ma?"

"She got called out, sweetie. She'll be back soon."

Riko sat in her lap and hugged her. Asami sighed and continued working.

Korra stumbled home, bruised up. The door to her room creaked open. She smiled when she saw her wife and daughter sleeping in her bed. She smoothly slipped under the covers and hugged them. Riko smiled and cuddled into her.

Riko giggled as her momma scolded the Avatar the next morning for coming home all bruised up.

"You should've woken me up! I could've looked at it."

"I didn't want to, hun. It was late and you two were sleeping."

Asami scowled and smacked her behind the head.

* * *

Two months later, Korra stopped by the police station to talk to Lin. They talked business for a while, but Korra had to ask her something important.

"Lin, enough of this business talk. I need to ask you for a wild favor…"

Lin curled her fingers together on the desk. "Okay, go on?"

Korra fidgeted. "Well, I've been busy lately. I know you have too, but I wanted to know if… Would you train Riko in earthbending?"

Lin's eyebrows rose. "You want me, of all people, to train your daughter? Are you crazy? … What's this really about? I know you're not too busy to train her."

Korra sighed. "It's just… I want her to be as strong as she can be. I want her to learn from the best. I can't do that. I'm the Avatar. I train with all four elements in mind… I want her to be able to bend like you."

Lin huffed and looked away. "You know how strict I am. It won't be easy."

"I know. I believe she can handle it. And she's fully healed in case you were wondering. She'll be fine."

* * *

Riko stood nervously in the police station's training field. It was a dusty earth arena. Lin stood at her side, correcting the slightest mistake with a smack of a stick. She'd jump and recover her stance. Lin had already kicked Korra out, saying she was babying her.

Lin commanded a kick. She did an earth kick and froze afterwards for Lin to correct her in some way. She circled her and finally smacked her shoulder. "Ow!"

"Again." Lin demanded.

This went on for weeks before she finally started actual sparring. Riko smirked as she attacked the officers that had volunteered to help her training. Of course, they were getting paid overtime for it.

She fought the men for a few minutes when suddenly Lin yelled out for them to stop. Everyone froze. Riko sweated nervously as Lin approached them. The stick lingered in her hand. Riko thought for sure she was getting another smack. All of a sudden, a smack came down on one of the men. "Ow!"

Riko gasped. Lin was scolding one of her men instead of her. She hadn't screwed up. She slowly smiled and stood straight.

* * *

Lin smirked while Riko looked absolutely clueless. "Don't act so surprised. How do you think I was trained?"

Riko gasped and smiled excitedly yet nervously. She felt the blindfold covering her eyes. Of course, how did she not see it coming? She was trained by Toph, who was blind. Riko started hopping in excitement.

"Don't look so happy, kid. It's a lot harder than you think."

Riko gasped and fell to the ground. She was covered in dirt. Every time she thought she felt Lin through the earth, she ended up missing and biting the dust. She growled and yanked herself up of the ground.

"C'mon kid! You haven't even touched me!" Lin called from across the arena.

Riko didn't bother looking in her direction, instead focusing on the earth through her feet. She could hear Lin start to run, but she couldn't figure out where to. She held her hands out in front of her in an earthbending fashion. She breathed in and out steadily. Suddenly she could feel something through her feet. She followed it in her mind. Vibrations echoed on her feet. She slid her feet across the ground majestically, hands still out in front of her.

Lin saw her start to pick up on her vibrations. She was surprised when she finally saw the focus translated through her face and body motions.

Riko rapidly brought one hand up. Earth shot up in Lin's direction. She jumped out of the way just in time.

"I said no earthbending!" Lin yelled. Riko innocently peaked out from the blindfold. "But good job." Lin chuckled.

It had took Riko 6 months to get that far. However, she had yet to perfect it. In the months that followed the first day of blindfold training, she had slipped up multiple times and Lin scolded her harshly. She started training majority of the time with a blindfold on, but one day Lin had a surprise for her.

"Let's spar."

Riko jumped. "W-What?!"

"You heard me. An earthbending fight, just the two of us. You've really grown stronger. I wanna see if you can translate it into battle."

Riko smirked menacingly. "You're on Chief."

Riko struck first with an earth block. Lin dodged it and ricocheted it back at her. They threw rocks at each other back and forth from across the arena for a few minutes. Lin slowly approached her, disguising it by throwing small boulders in succession at her. Riko dodged a few and smashed the other with her fists. She gasped when she saw Lin just five feet away from her. Lin started throwing punches and Riko either dodged or got hit.

By now, many of the officers had wandered out to watch their match.

Riko swung her leg to try to lay out Lin, but she just jumped over her and kicked her to the ground. She got the wind knocked out of her. She saw Lin go for a dropkick and rolled out of the way. The earth under her foot exploded upon impact. Riko stumbled up and went for a roundhouse kick. Lin caught her foot and threw her across the arena. She skidded across the ground, picking up dust.

She stood up on her hands and knees, an old instinct kicking in. Lin halted. She was surprised by her animalist look, but she shouldn't have been, considering she grew up in the jungle.

Riko looked straight at her. They both smirked and ran towards each other, fists raised.

Lin forced Riko into the ground and pulled her arm behind her back. Riko growled.

"Nice try. How about trying that with the blindfold next time?" Lin goaded.


	9. Chapter 7

Things were going great for the new family. Riko was learning earthbending from Lin and Asami had also gotten her a private tutor. She wanted her to be educated, but Korra absolutely refused to send her to school. Both of their jobs were going well. Asami made sure to leave the office more often to spend the evening with her family. Korra was getting fewer calls of distress in the city.

Until one day, she got a call from Bei Fong. Korra massaged her forehead as the Chief talked.

"I don't know, Lin. That's a big deal. What if…? He's a firebender? I just… Okay, okay! I get it, but… Fine!"

She slammed the phone down. She passed the library on her way out. The tutor waved at her and Riko jumped up from her seat.

"Riko, I have to run to the police station real quick. Momma's still at work, so don't leave the house until one of us return."

Riko gave her a thumbs up and returned to her studies.

* * *

Korra couldn't even speak before Lin dragged her down the hall. The officers looked at her like she was a deranged lunatic. Korra became scared and attempted to pull herself out of Lin's grasp, but Lin threw her into her office and slammed the door shut. Korra protected herself with her arms, expecting Lin's wrath for whatever reason, even though that was never Lin's intention. Korra saw a small boy sitting in a chair and quickly straightened up. Lin still smacked her over the head. "Owww."

"Shut up… This is the boy I was telling you about. His name is Kohaku."

Korra gulped and leaned down to his level. "Hi, I'm Korra."

"I know who you are."

"Then you know that I'm here to help you."

The boy nodded.

"What happened to your parents?"

The boy started shaking. "They, um, they died a few days ago. They took weird medicine that killed them."

Korra looked up at the Chief. "My men are looking into it as we speak."

Korra sighed. "Okay. So, how old are you?"

"I think 9."

"Really? I have a twelve-year-old daughter. You would probably get along with her. She's an earthbender."

The kid perked up. "That sounds fun."

Korra smiled. "Do you wanna come stay with my family for a while?" The boy nodded excitedly. "Sigh, alright Lin, I'll take care of him."

"Thank you Korra. I'll let you know what my men find."

* * *

"Hey, that's my spot!" Riko yelled after seeing a little boy on her ma's shoulders.

"Riko, this little boy is your brother now."

"Brother?!"

Korra jumped. Asami had come up from behind Riko. She looked fiercely mad with her hands on her hips.

Korra's breathing quickened. She hastily put the boy down. "Riko, do you think you can show Kohaku around the house while momma and I talk?"

Riko nodded and dragged him away. She had a feeling they were about to fight.

Korra held her hands in front of her nervously. "Asami, I-I know this is unexpected, but-"

"C'mere!" Asami yelled, yanking her by her collar up to their room.

"What the hell were you thinking?! Taking in another kid? We already have Riko! And you and I both work! It won't work!"

"We can make it work! I couldn't help it! Okay?! Lin called and pretty much dropped him in my hands! His parents are dead and no one else would take him!"

They were getting really worked up over this. Riko could hear them across the house still.

"We didn't talk about having more kids!"

"Yeah, but I know you want more kids!" Korra yelled.

Asami froze. "I-I…"

"I'm right, aren't I?"

Asami turned away from her. Korra hugged her still.

"I do, Korra, but we aren't ready for this."

"We weren't ready for Riko, but we still did just fine. We'll manage something. I promise things will work out."

Asami sighed in defeat. Not like she could just kick the kid out now anyway. "Fine."

Korra gave her a peck on the cheek. "Thank you, babe. Now do you want to formally meet him?"

Asami smiled a little and nodded. Korra led them to the living room where the two kids waited for them.

"Oh, one last thing…" Korra whispered as they walked down the stairs. "He's a firebender."

"What?!"

"Are ma and momma still fighting?"

Asami shook her head. "No, sweetie, we're fine now."

Riko smiled. Asami looked at Korra menacingly. Korra shook it off and sat with her kids.

"Okay, everyone this is Kohaku. He's 9, and he's a firebender."

Riko froze. Suddenly she ran behind Asami. "Sigh, this is what I was worried about."

Korra looked at them questioningly. "What's wrong with that?!"

"Korra did you think that maybe I was more concerned about Riko than myself? That's why I got upset. Riko isn't prepared for this either."

"Asami were not dropping him off in the streets." Korra stood up, defending the small boy.

"Why not? Mako and Bolin did fine."

"Are you fucking serious?!" Korra screamed. Asami realized what she said and covered her mouth. It was too late now, though.

"Korra, I didn't mean it-"

"Shut up!" Korra stomped out of the house, leaving Asami with the two kids.

"Ugh!" She stomped off to her room.

Riko stood there, twiddling her fingers. "So…you're a firebender?"

Kohaku nodded. "Yeah. Do you have something against firebenders?"

"N-No, it's just… My parents were killed by firebenders. So was Asami's mom."

He stood up and held her hand. "I'm sorry! I know that's hard, since my parents just died, but not all firebenders are like that."

* * *

Korra quietly opened the front door. It was far too quiet for how they were fighting earlier. She crept upstairs. She passed Riko's room and smiled. Surprisingly, Riko and Kohaku came to terms and were sleeping together in her huge bed.

She continued on to the spare room, a sake bottle in her hand. She laid down and chugged the rest of it before passing out.

Cold water splashed in her face. She jumped up. Asami stood over her angrily with a bucket. "Get up. You have to go to work."

"Ughhh, I don't feel like it…" Korra moaned, laying back into the sheets.

Asami could smell the sake on her breath and saw a bottle peeking out from under the bed. Her heart sank. "Korra…"

"I'll go in a little bit. Chief can handle things for now." Korra mumbled.

"Korra!"

She froze, stopping mid-speech.

"I'm so fucking sorry for everything I said yesterday. I never meant to drive you this far." Asami wept, clinging to Korra tightly.

"Eh?" Korra mumbled, still out of it. "Well, at least our kids came to terms…"

"Huh?" Asami asked.

Korra chuckled. "You didn't see them? They were sleeping together in her bed when I came in last night. Go look."

Asami walked out hesitantly. She returned smiling. "You must not have been too drunk to remember that."

Korra smiled and pulled Asami down, making her yelp. Korra tried kissing her, but she was stopped.

"No, you're drunk." Asami said sternly. Korra groaned and rolled away. Asami hugged her from behind. "But I will stay home today with you and help with the kids."

Korra smiled before passing out again.

"What're you doing in here?" Riko asked from the doorway. Kohaku was gripping her hand. "We're hungry."

Asami looked at the clock and gasped. "It's almost noon! I'm sorry kids. I'll go start lunch right now."

Korra eventually followed them downstairs. The kids giggled as Korra snuck up to Asami and started kissing her neck. "Korra, you're still drunk?"

"No, just needy." Korra laughed, breathing on her neck.

Asami shivered. "Do you want me to burn the food?"

Korra looked back at her starving kids and sighed. "Nooo…" She let go and stumbled to the table. They had coloring books and crayons. "Here, ma, you can color with us."

Asami returned with plates of food but sighed in annoyance. Korra was coloring. She called out to Korra, who staggered over to help with the food.

That evening they received a call. Asami answered it while Korra played with the kids.

"Hello? Oh Chief, hi."

"Is Korra there?" she asked over the line.

"Umm…" Asami looked back at them. "Well, she's kind of busy right now, but I'll relay the message if you'd like."

Lin sighed. "It's about that boy. We found his parents… Dead. They had OD'd on some hardcore drugs."

Asami froze. She eventually hung up the phone and wandered back to her family.

"Who was it?" Korra asked.

Asami pulled her up and yanked her away from the kids.

"What the heck, Asa-?"

"His parents are dead."

"Yeah, we know that."

"No, Korra, they died from abusing drugs. Lin said they found them."

Now Korra froze. "That's what he meant."

"What?" Asami asked.

Korra shook her head. "Kohaku said that his parents took weird medicine. That was probably the drugs they were using."

Asami covered her face, sighing. Korra hugged her. "This doesn't change anything. Except now he's ours to keep."

They got Kohaku's room put together the following week. It was a little smaller than Riko's and had dark red walls and a full-size bed with Fire Nation bed sheets.

It turned out that he had some nightmares too. Some nights he would creep into either Riko's room or their moms' room and sleep with them for the night after having a bad dream.

One night, he had ran to Riko's room only to find that she wasn't there. He panicked and ran to his moms' room. Crying could be heard from inside as he slid open the door. Riko was sitting in between both women and they were comforting her. His heart clenched tighter. He didn't know that she had nightmares, too. It looked like she had a pretty bad one. He patted up and crawled into bed with them.

Korra pulled him up into her arms and hugged both of her children. "It looks like you had a bad nightmare, too."

Kohaku nodded with tears still dripping from his eyes. He reached down and held Riko's hand. She gripped it tight.

Korra smiled sadly. They comforted them until they fell asleep and held them for the rest of the night.


	10. Chapter 7-1

The first thing Asami heard when she entered her home were the sounds of joy and laughter. The CEO rose a brow amusingly and ventured deeper into the mansion. The house was dark. Evening was setting in but no lights were on. Child-like giggles erupted from the living room. Asami peered in and happily rested her head in her palm.

A large tent was formed by throwing a blanket over several chairs. A flashlight shone bright in the middle of the tent. Three shadows appeared in the light that the CEO instantly recognized. The two smaller masses suddenly threw themselves on the bigger mass.

Asami started walking away, but her heels gave away her position. Korra excitedly poked her head out from a gap in the blanket. "'Sami? 'Sami! Hey, come join us!"

Asami crossed her arms as her wife ran up to her. "But then who will make sure you all eat dinner?"

Korra pouted and fumbled with her fingers. "We can always order take-out."

"We've been eating take-out too much, dear. I'd like for our kids to actually get some nutrition in them."

"C'mon, Asami. You could use a little bit of fun." Korra replied. She dragged the woman back in before she could retort. Asami fell into the pile of pillows that were spread around on the inside of the tent. Korra giggled as she crawled in after her.

Suddenly two small children tackled her. "Momma!"

Asami smiled softly at the bundles in her arms. "Hi, sweetums. How was spending the day with Korra?"

Riko jumped out of her arms excitedly and bounced from pillow to pillow. "Ma helped us train our bending skills! Then we got our baths and now we're playing in here!"

Asami laughed. "Sounds like you had fun."

"We can have more fun now that you're here, momma! C'mon, come sit with us! Korra's telling scary stories!" Kohaku exclaimed in a small voice.

Asami rose a brow aimed at her wife, who shrugged with a smile. Nonetheless, she crawled to a pillow to sit on with her children.

The kids anxiously leaned forward as they listened to Korra talk. Asami watched in amusement. Moments like these reminded her how happy she was now. Korra being amazing with children was huge positive, too.

Suddenly thunder cracked loudly and lighting lit up the room. The kids screamed and both simultaneously jumped into Asami's lap. The room grew quiet except for the pitter-patter of the rain. The CEO looked down and frowned. Kohaku was shakily grasping onto her blouse. Riko was pouting in an attempt to hide her discomfort and huddled under her arm. She looked to her wife and noticed she looked a little uneasy as well.

Asami sighed and started removing the blanket from above their heads. Then she easily picked up both children, holding one in each arm. Kohaku eagerly wrapped his tiny arms around her neck. "I'm going to order take-out."

* * *

Asami sighed in relief as she finally crawled into bed and pulled out her book. After a few minutes, she wondered what was taking Korra so long. The Avatar had stated that she was going to check on Naga before coming to bed.

As thunder roared again, Riko pouted and pulled her blankets up to her chin. The scary stories really got to her and she couldn't find sleep at all. Suddenly she heard tiny footsteps running towards her room. She sat up right as Kohaku peeked in. "Kohaku, are you okay?"

The boy gasped for air and then dashed to her bedside and pulled her out of bed. "Kohaku?!" He kept pulling her until they reached his room, which was right beside her room. He paused just short of his bed. Riko rose a brow when she looked at him. "What's wrong?"

The young firebender fumbled with his words and his hands. "T-There's something under the bed…"

Riko scowled and looked back at the bed. "You're kidding, right? You know Korra just made up those stories. There aren't any monsters under your bed."

Just then lighting erupted again and the whole bed shook. Both kids stepped back quickly. Riko hesitantly took a step forward and a watery gust of wind blew from underneath the bed, followed by a deep groan.

"MOM!" Both Kohaku and Riko ran out of the room. The earthbender slammed the door shut and ran after her brother to their parents' room which was just down the hall.

Asami hurriedly ran out of the room and met with them in the hallway. "Kids, what's wrong?!"

Kohaku sniffled and tears were now streaming down his cheeks. Riko grit her teeth to push back her tears. "There's a monster…" "In Kohaku's room…"

Asami frowned with confusion and ran back into her room to grab her electric glove. She then rushed to the boy's room to figure this out. The children nervously followed behind her. She carefully pushed the door open and peered in, but the room was completely quiet. She glanced back to the kids. "Where exactly did you see this monster?"

Kohaku gulped. "Under the bed…"

Asami sighed and slowly kneeled down and looked under the bed. The kids watched fearfully from the door. Asami started whispering frantically to whatever was under the bed, then she unleashed a small shock from her glove. "Gah! I'm sorry!"

The kids blinked. They knew that voice. Asami sighed and dragged the thing out from under the mattress. "Kids, it's just your mother. Nothing to worry about."

The kids paused, then Riko ran up and weakly punched her mom in the leg. "Stupid! You scared us!"

Korra smiled sadly and kneeled down. "I know kid. I'm sorry, but we're all okay, right?"

Riko sniffled and nodded. Tears began appearing in the corner of her eyes and she quickly pushed her hands into her face. Korra instantly took her up in her arms. "C'mon badgermole. Let's get you back to bed."

Kohaku then decided to run into Asami's arms. He was still upset but the tears were slowly stopping. "Can we sleep with you tonight?"

Korra looked down at her daughter when she felt her nod her head in agreement. She nervously glanced at her wife and saw her scowl at her. "Of course, sweetums. C'mon…"

Once situated in the large bed, with both children asleep in between the two women, Asami glared at her wife. Korra saw it. "What?"

"You said you were checking on Naga."

Korra chuckled nervously and rubbed her neck. "I know, I lied. I'm sorry."

Asami huffed. "Well I already shocked you earlier so I guess just take that as your punishment."

"That hurt!"

"Good." Asami replied smartly.

Korra sighed. "I really am sorry, Asami. I didn't think it'd scare them that bad."

"Well I hope you learned your lesson. Honestly what did you expect after telling them scary story while it storms all evening?"

"Hehe, yeahhh, that wasn't my smartest idea." Korra answered. She then popped up onto her elbows and leaned over the children to give her a chaste kiss on the lips.

Asami giggled then pushed her back. "Go to sleep, Korra."

Korra leaned back into the mattress with a smile on her face. "I love you, 'Sami."

Asami looked over and saw the whimsical look on her wife's face and chuckled. "I love you too, Kor."


	11. Chapter 8: The Next Saga

Four years have passed and Riko and Kohaku had both grown and matured greatly, but they still have a lot to learn before they can join Korra's side to keep the peace. But Korra believed they could change the world.

"You have got to be kidding me…" Riko facepalmed. She expertly jerked the reins and jumped off of Naga and walked through an alleyway. She brushed off the creepy old men ogling her matured body. Her hair was still short and choppy, just how she liked it. She had grown quite muscular, resulting in many of her shirts being cut at the sleeves for easy movement, just like her ma. Bandages covered her forearms to hide old scars.

She stomped the ground, shooting a young boy into the air with her earthbending.

"Ow! Son of a bit-"

"Watch it." Riko scolded. "What the fuck are you doing out here?"

"Oh so you can cuss and I can't?"

"I'm the oldest, so yeah."

Kohaku stumbled up, rubbing his butt. "It's none of your business."

"Oh really? I think it's entirely my business. I wonder what would happen if I told our mothers that you were gambling away their hard-earned money." Riko said, rubbing her chin and looking into the air.

He glared at her. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh I would. Ya know, I think I might just do that. See ya at home, squirt!" Riko said. She waved from behind and ran off on Naga.

"Oh no you don't!" He called, chasing after her.

*Cue catchy city chase music.*

Riko smirked and saluted to him as he caught up. She sped up, leaving her brother in the dust. He was fast, though, and trailed behind her. Looking back, she growled. She was so distracted that she hadn't noticed the food stand down the street.

Kohaku laughed as his sister ran right into the stand and flew into the air. He jumped over the debris and saluted back at her as he took a shortcut down an alley. Riko growled as the salesman chewed her out for ruining his stand.

As she approached their house, she saw her brother climbing the stairs, making her growl yet again. He gasped as he heard the animal gaining on him just as he turned the doorknob. Riko jumped off of Naga and tackled him through the opening doors.

Asami screamed as her children burst through the front door. They were quick to give excuses, but Asami was having none of it. "No, no, no! This is not acceptable in our house or anywhere for that matter! I bet you even destroyed a street stand or something!"

Riko scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"Oh, you're just like her. Korra! Get down here now!" Asami yelled.

Korra hastily burst through one of the doors upstairs and leaned over the railing that overlooked the living area downstairs. Her children nervously looked up at her. She glared and stomped downstairs, already yelling at them before she reached the bottom. "What did you do now?! I'd love to hear this story! What was it this time? You "forgot" to pay for lunch? Or maybe this time you got into a fight with the wrong people?"

"Hold on!" Riko screamed, holding her hands in the air. "I'll have you know that this kid was gambling away YOUR money! Even though I did run into a food stand trying to beat him back here after I caught him, I paid salesman back for it!"

Their mothers froze, then glared at him. "C'mere!" Asami dragged him to his room.

"You really caught him gambling?" Korra asked softly.

Riko nodded.

* * *

"I'm gonna kill you." Kohaku grumbled.

"Go ahead and try it." Riko responded.

"I'd say let's go out to the arena to settle this, but…"

"You're confined to your room for two weeks still. Serves you right."

Kohaku shot a string of flames at her. She slammed the door shut to escape. As much as she wished to fight him, she knew she'd get in trouble for destroying his room in the process. So she walked away from this fight.

Riko heard both of her moms talking in their room and put her ear to the door.

"Korra I want to have another."

"I know but we already have two. How are we gonna take care of a third?"

"I think if we have a younger one, it'll settle them two down a little bit. Maybe they'll feel more responsible."

"Maybe but they're just gonna move out in a couple of years!"

"Korra, please! I just want to take care of a younger one again."

Riko drew back, wide-eyes. A younger one? She means another kid?! Is she nuts?! They can't handle the two of us as we are!

She heard one of them approaching the door and took off down the hallway.

* * *

Riko strolled down the sidewalk on her way to train with the Chief. Crime was starting to pick up again and so her training was recently reduced to once a week. Lin was always the busy person, so she was thankful for whatever time she got to train with her.

She hadn't been paying attention, kicking a can down the sidewalk, and walked right into two thugs. "Oof!"

"Hey kid, watch where you're going!" One yelled. The other grabbed her by the collar. "You don't know who you're dealing with!"

"Yeah well neither do you!" Riko replied, swinging her leg at the guy holding her. He let go once her leg connected with his face. She back flipped as the two men started firebending at her. She pulled an earth wall up to protect herself. Civilians around them began evacuating the area as fireballs shot overhead. Riko braced herself against the wall, but it was started to get too hot as they blasted fire at it. She grit her teeth and dove out to one side, shooting earth in their direction in the process. It knocked one guy out, but the other dodged. The elements flew in different directions as the two duked it out, bobbing and weaving to avoid damage. It was like a pro-bending match.

Riko dodged one fire blast, but another was headed her way still. She crossed her arms to protect herself at the last second. The force sent her flying down the street. As she laid there groaning, she heard sirens approaching them from far away. Someone must've called the cops.

The firebender approached her and it sent her into a flashback of her parents' deaths. She began backing away but slipped. She looked down and saw that her arm bandages were singed away, revealing her arms. She wasn't burned too badly, but seeing her scars sent her into another flashback of when people started making fun of her for her scars.

* * *

It was just before they took in Kohaku. Riko was at a fancy restaurant with her moms. She watched as Asami playfully fed Korra her noodles, as always. It seemed to be some sort of tradition for the couple. Either way, it made the young child giggle. She excused herself after finishing her dinner to give her parents some time to themselves.

Riko was washing her hands when one of the other toilets flushed and a girl around her age came out. She was in an expensive dress. The girl glanced over and tried hiding her gasp horribly.

"What?" She asked her.

"Your arms. Those scars are hideous! And that huge scar on your left arm, you should've just amputated! That's so ugly!"

"Well I was homeless. I lived in the forest, fending for myself."

"Oh you homeless people are all the same, wanting everyone's pity!"

A switch flipped and Riko slammed the girl into the wall. "Not everyone gets handed everything in life like you do. You don't even appreciate what you have."

The girl started hyperventilating and Riko released her.

"How'd a worthless jungle girl get into a nice restaurant like this?!" She gasped.

Riko smirked. "I got adopted. But what's it to you?"

Tears started falling as soon as the bathroom door closed behind her. Her façade fell. She dodged waiters on her voyage to escape the restaurant. Her parents yelled after her as she sulked out.

Korra grabbed her before she walked out in front of traffic. "Riko, what's wrong?"

Riko sat down on the sidewalk and started bawling. Korra sat down with her and held her close. Asami finally followed them out after paying. She gasped and sat down with them. "What happened, sweetie?"

Riko sniffed. "I was w-washing my hands in the b-bathroom and this g-girl came up to me and s-started saying that my s-s-scars made me ugly!"

"What did she look like?" Korra asked.

"Korra, no." Asami pleaded.

"Just tell me what she looked like."

"S-she was in an expensive green dress." Riko said.

Asami pleaded with Korra, but the Avatar stomped inside. Asami carried her daughter back to the car as Korra exploded inside the restaurant. Even two blocks down the road, they could still hear Korra screaming and yelling at anyone and everyone in the building.

The teasing only continued the more she explored Republic City. She could only take so much before she finally decided to just cover them up and hide it from everyone. Her parents supported her decision because they hated seeing her in so much pain.

* * *

The scars of her past and of her intense training. The man paused wide-eyed at the sight of it. "What the hell happened to you?" He mumbled.

They must've been standing still like that for a while because after he said that he was tackled to the ground and cuffed.

Lin ran over to her and helped her sit up. She could feel the girl shaking a bit. Without a second thought, she wrapped her arms around her. Over time, the girl had become like family to her.

"You're alright, Riko. We're here to help. You're safe now."

But Riko was still in her trance. Her breathing was labored and sweat covered her. Lin carried her in her arms back to the station.

* * *

Korra burst through the station's door with Asami right behind her. Officers jumped out of their way. Lin stepped out of her office to stop the couple from barging in. "Stop."

"Lin, let us see her!" Korra demanded.

"I will. I just want you to calm yourself before you enter. She's fine except for a few burn marks on her arms, nothing a healer can't fix. But I'm more concerned with the trance she's stuck in. I think she's reliving some bad memories because I can't seem to shake her out of it." Lin explained.

Korra took a deep breath and Lin opened the door. Riko was holding her knees to her chest and was wrapped in a blanket, sitting on the couch. Asami pulled the blanket off of her head and ran her fingers through her hair to calm her. Riko hastily looked up into her mother's eyes and grabbed her hand. Asami quickly pulled her into an embrace.

"Korra, maybe she should see a counselor…" Lin started. "I mean, if she freezes up like this in battle, she could seriously get hurt or even killed…"

Korra shook her head. "I have an idea…"

* * *

"Seriously?"

"Yes, I'm serious, now come on!" Korra said, dragging her daughter to her special place in the mansion.

"What is this place?" Riko asked.

"This is one of the places where I meditate. It's a peaceful and calm place. I wanna show you how to meditate."

"W-why do I need to meditate?"

Korra saw that her eyes held uncertainty. She had been acting strange ever since the incident a few days ago. It had taken forever to get her out of that trance.

"Because you froze up a few days ago. Luckily you weren't hurt. Remember?"

"Oh…"

"Just follow my lead." Korra said softly. She sat down and crossed her legs. Then she put her fists together in front of her. Riko watched her for a minute before jumping to repeat Korra. Korra breathed in and out. Riko copied her.

"Just focus on clearing your mind."

Riko slowly closed her eyes and did as her mother instructed. She managed to clear her mind for a few minutes before repressed memories surfaced. Her eyebrows knitted together. She quietly began growling, trying to keep it to herself.

"It's okay for memories to come to you. What are you thinking about right now?" Korra asked.

Riko sighed. "I'm thinking about…when my parents were killed."

"What do you see? Talk about it."

"There's a gang of firebenders surrounding us. They want our money, but we're poor…" Riko breathed in and out deeply. Korra watched her retell her story. She was playing with dangerous territory having her recall back bad memories.

Riko felt herself become lightheaded. "I'm running through the woods. My parents are dead… It's starting to get hot and the men chasing me are covered in their blood."

A bamboo water fountain dings every now and then to keep her mind centered.

"Suddenly I'm earthbending. I hid inside my fort for days. What purpose did I have without my parents? They're dead and I'm homeless." Riko was speaking freely now. "Like that girl in the bathroom said that day, I'm worthless. I could barely even protect myself out in the forest."

Korra intervened. She spoke gently to stay on her level. "Listen Riko, you can't let that stop you from living. None of that defines you. You are you. You can't let losing your parents define who you are. You can't let earthbending define who you are. You control who you are. It's completely up to you."

Riko continued breathing evenly while Korra spoke.

"Having the Avatar for a mom doesn't define who you are. Neither does Asami. Or Kohaku. We're just here to guide you in your life. We don't control you who are. You do. You are Riko."

Riko's eyes suddenly open and stared directly at Korra. Korra returned the gesture.

"You're right. I don't have to let any of that control my life." Riko stated, looking away from her.

Korra smiled gently at her. "Any time you feel overwhelmed, feel free to come here to meditate. It can do wonders on your mind."

They sat there together to meditate longer. "By the way, you're a lot better at this than when I first started." Korra commented. Riko smiled.


	12. Chapter 9

Men were back at the house again, decorating a new room. Riko had peeked in and saw ocean blue walls. She pouted at the thought of a new sibling. She saw Asami walking towards her and glared at her.

"What's that look for?" The heiress asked, nonchalantly.

"You're not even telling us what's going on." Riko stated.

"We're easing you into it."

"I'm almost 17. Kohaku's 13. I think we'll be just fine. Not that we haven't already figured out what's going on."

"You were supposed to figure it out, sweetie. That's the whole point of not hiding the room and the men working in it." Asami replied, ruffling the girl's hair.

Riko found Kohaku in his room. She quickly shut the door so that none of the smoke would escape. The boy smirked at her.

"Hehe, so you decided to return to the dark side, huh?" He asked.

"Shut up and pass it over." She sat down on his bed with him. He passed his joint over to her and she inhaled deeply.

* * *

"Now I'm sure you both know by now, but we're adopting another child." Asami said. They were holding a family meeting in the living room downstairs.

Riko crossed her arms. "That was pretty obvious."

"When?" Kohaku asked.

Asami sighed. "We're taking in a little 8-year-old girl. She's moving in tomorrow."

The two kids groaned.

"Why are you two so against it?" Korra asked.

"We're not. We just don't think you're ready for another kid. You can barely handle us!" Riko replied.

"That's just because you two are in your teens. The teenage years are usually the hardest." Korra said.

"Tell me about it." Kohaku grumbled.

"Well, you two should be excited because she's a waterbender." Korra said.

The two kids stared at her for a minute, then Riko smirked. "Ohhhhh, I see what this is about. You want a child that can bend water!"

"W-what?! No, t-that's not it!" Korra exclaimed. Asami sneered at her. "Maybe just a little." Korra whispered.

* * *

"That's my spot." Riko mumbled as Korra walked in with a tan girl on her back. Asami smacked her on the back of the head. "Ow!"

"You've grown out of sitting on her shoulders."

Kohaku laughed at her and ran up to Korra as she put the little girl down. "Hi, I'm Kohaku. What's your name?"

"I-I'm Nami." The girl whimpered.

Kohaku smiled at her. "That's a nice name. That's my sister, Riko."

The girl looked over at a bickering teenager and her mom.

"I can show you to your room if you want." Kohaku said. The girl nodded and he led her upstairs. Korra smiled as Kohaku and Nami hit it off immediately. Riko was different story, however. For the next few weeks, she had tried interacting with the girl, but the age difference seemed to make her awkward.

Riko was meditating in Korra's "office" when she heard someone approach her and sit down in front of her. She bit her lip. Usually people sat beside you to comfort you. If they sat in front of you, it was sort of a confrontation.

"Am I intruding?" Asami asked. She had plenty of experience doing this with Korra, though. Riko shook her head.

"What triggered you?" Her mom asked. Even though Riko knew how to, she only meditated if she absolutely needed to.

Her fists tightened and then she eased up. "I'm just upset that I can't connect with Nami…" She opened her eyes and looked into her mom's eyes.

"It's okay. I'm sure you two will learn to live with each other eventually. It just takes time."

Riko sighed and put her fists back together.

* * *

Riko was crouched behind a dumpster. Her brother was trying to score big with a dealer. And she was the lookout. She grit her teeth. Something was throwing her off, she could feel it in her gut. The shadows looked like they were moving, but she just played it off as her imagination.

Just before Kohaku could finish the deed, a mobster walked up from the end of the alley. He had two men behind him. He told the dealer to scram, then laid a hand on Kohaku's shoulder.

'Shit. That's Shady Shin! What's he want?' Riko thought. She was so focused on him that she didn't feel the men approaching her from behind until the last minute.

"Kohaku! Get out of there!" She yelled, dodging a rock.

He looked back and Shin grabbed him. She fought the men for a few minutes before she saw that Shin held a knife to Kohaku. She gasped and froze.

"If you want him to live, you'll cooperate." Shin said.

She growled, but then one of the men knocked her out.

* * *

Kohaku heard his sister mumble in her stupor. He growled and pulled at the chains uselessly. They were captured. Chains kept them confined against the wall. The door slammed open and he gasped. They chained a little girl to the wall and walked out.

Riko woke up at the sound of the metal door slamming. She heard a girl fighting them as they chained her to the wall along with them.

"No…" She mumbled.

Kohaku heard her. "Sis, you awake?"

"Barely." She replied. Her head was pounding. She looked over at Nami. The girl was crying silently. "Nami, what happened?" Riko mumbled.

"They attacked the house after mom got called out to the city. A bunch of them. Mommy couldn't fight them off by herself. They beat her and then grabbed me." Nami started crying more.

"Damnit, they probably drew Korra away from the house so that they could kidnap you." Riko said. "Don't worry. I'll get us out of here."

Just then Shady Shin returned.

"What do you want with us?" Riko growled at him.

"Oh, I have just the offer for you. If you or your brother join our gang, I'll let all of you go."

"No." Riko said immediately.

Shin laughed. "I understand, you need time to think about it."

"No we don't. We're not joining you. Korra will be here any minute now to save us." Riko said.

Shin frowned. "Heh, you think so? I don't know. I think she's pretty occupied at the moment."

Riko reached up to hit him, but the chains held her back.

"Suit yourself." He said, then left them.

Riko kicked her foot down but nothing happened.

"You don't remember, do you?" Kohaku asked. "They blocked our bending. It'll probably be awhile still before we get it back."

* * *

Korra came home to an empty house, which was unusual because the house was always bustling with activity. She dashed throughout the entire mansion looking for her family. Eventually she found Asami unconscious in the upstairs hallway. "Asami? Asami?! Wake up! What happened?!" Korra asked, shaking her wife awake.

* * *

Glass shattered abruptly. "Mom!" Asami dropped her pencil and quickly grabbed her electric glove. She dashed out of the room and searched for her family. It didn't seem like Riko and Kohaku had returned yet, which almost scared her more, otherwise they'd be fighting off the intruders. She followed her newest daughter's screams to the children's hallway.

"Stop!" Asami yelled, electrocuting a few of the intruders. A few turned to her to attack her while the others contained the little girl. Asami had no problem taking out a few grunts, but it had been awhile since her last fight and she had underestimated her opponents. One man snuck behind her and knocked her out. She watched through blurry vision how Nami was thrown over a man's shoulder and carried away. Tears sprung to Asami's eyes, remembering this very same situation between her and her own mother. Just before she hit the floor, her vision flashed back to when she herself was a child and watched her mother murdered in front of her. Was Nami about to face that same thing?

* * *

Slowly her vision returned and her heart jumped when she saw the blurry face of her wife. She wasn't dead.

Asami mumbled before she jumped up, fully aware now. "Korra? Korra?! Spirits, Korra we have to save them!"

"Tell me what happened first."

"They ambushed the house and kidnapped Nami. My guess is they already got Riko and Kohaku while they were in town if they haven't returned yet."

Korra froze.

* * *

"C'mon, think of the wonders of joining a gang! We'll be family! And it pays handsomely." Shady Shin coerced, rubbing his hands together at the mention of money.

"Do you always kidnap young children to be a part of your gang?" Riko asked mockingly. She was still pulling at the chains to hit him. The man sighed and kicked her in the gut. She coughed and fell back.

"Riko!" Her siblings cried out.

"She'll get worse if she doesn't cooperate soon." Shin said. Two men stood behind him threateningly.

Suddenly the metal door opened and everyone gasped. "Don't cha know how big of a victory it would be if our gang recruited the Avatar's kids! It would be huge!"

"B-Boss! I was just talking some sense into them!" Shin explained.

Viper, the new boss, laughed ominously. "I think we need to try a different approach of persuading." Everyone watched him as he walked up to the kids. He grabbed Nami's chin to force her to look at him.

"Don't you dare fucking touch her!" Riko yelled.

"Ohhh, language, young lady, such a thing is not meant for a lady such as yourself." Viper commented.

"That's for me to decide. Let her go."

Viper smirked. "No, I think we can use her to persuade you to join us."

"Get your filthy hands off of her or I'll kill you!" Riko growled menacingly. The chains rattled as she continued pulling on them.

Viper frowned and punched the older sibling in the face. She coiled back painfully. He went back to Nami and grabbed her hair forcefully. "Ow!"

"I said let her go." Riko demanded once more. Viper sighed. He grabbed Kohaku, but still Riko demanded him to let them go. He then grabbed Riko again.

"It seems that you don't want me to touch your siblings at all. What about yourself? If I can't hurt them-"

"You can torture me all you want. Just let them go." Riko said. Her siblings screamed at her to stop. Viper smirked and punched her again. He hit her a few times before stopping. She was writhing in pain. He laughed and went back to her siblings.

"What don't you get about not touching them?" Riko grumbled. "I won't let you hurt them. I'm their big sister. I have to protect them."

Nami stared at her like she was crazy. Viper growled and punched Kohaku. Nami started crying again and Riko was immediately right back up, pulling at the chains like a wild animal. He laughed at her. "There's nothing you can do about it! You can't save them!"

Riko growled and an old instinct kicked into overdrive, and it had nothing to do with bending. She pulled at the chains until one of them ripped out of the wall. She threateningly swung the chain and knocked Shady Shin off of his feet. She pulled at the other chain. It broke loose but then she was grabbed. They bound her hands and feet and tied her hands around a hook on the short ceiling. She was breathing heavily and her eyes held a wild gaze. Her fearsome growl showed off her sharp teeth. Kohaku and Nami gasped at her. They had never seen her look so wild before.

* * *

Korra once again burst through the police station's doors with Asami trailing behind her. Mako walked up to them. "Woah, what's wrong?"

"Our children have been kidnapped! Where's Lin?" Korra demanded.

Mako gasped and ran into Lin's office. The couple followed.

"What?! What do you mean your children have been kidnapped?!" Lin yelled.

"They stole Riko and Kohaku off of the streets and then ambushed our home to steal Nami!" Korra yelled back.

* * *

"No! Stop!" The two younger siblings screamed. The thugs continued beating up Riko. Even though she had put up a big fight, she was losing that will. You could see it in her eyes. One of the thugs appeared with a crowbar and slammed it against her abdomen. She screamed, coughing up blood, and the beating continued. He hit her with the crowbar over and over again. Stomach. Legs. Arms. Everything was fair game. She started growling at him again but one more hit to the ribs put her out. She passed out from the extensive pain riddling her body, but the men continued for many more minutes.

Viper stood next to the terrified siblings. "So, have you reconsidered our offer?"

* * *

Lin crouched against the wall outside one of the more renowned Triad hideouts. Her officers lined the wall. This was the third house they'd tried. Mako and Korra stood next to her, waiting for her order. Lin used her earthbending to detect everything in the building.

"I see a few guards at the door and on the first floor. Easily taken care of. But there's a hidden basement and I can see plenty of people down there. They might be here." Lin said. Mako and Korra nodded. Lin then signaled to her men to enter the building.

Kohaku was in the middle of yelling at Viper about how there was no way they would join them when suddenly the door slammed open and a smoke bomb was thrown in. The metalbenders ambushed them and attacked the thugs. Mako and Korra crawled through the smoke until they found the two younger kids.

"Mom!" They screamed.

"Oh Spirits, I'm so happy we found you! Where's your sister?" Korra exclaimed. They picked the locks on the chains and released them. Nami jumped into her arms and Kohaku hugged her.

"Where's Riko?" Mako asked.

Kohaku gasped and quickly led them through the smoke. A man appeared, seeming to guard Riko, with a bloody crowbar in his hands. The sight of Riko was almost unbearable. She was beaten to a bloody pulp, almost to the point of being unrecognizable. Thick blood steadily trickled from her mouth. Her body hung limp in unconsciousness.

Korra snapped. She was absolutely livid and her body went hot with anger. She shot raging fire at the man. It shot him across the room until he hit the back wall, managing to take down a couple other thugs in his path.

Mako shielded the two kids as Korra momentarily lost control. She seemed to be breathing fire now. Mako grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Korra, calm down or you'll enter the Avatar State. Deep breaths." Mako instructed. Korra closed her eyes. Smoke blew from her nose as she deeply breathed in and out. Mako released her when she was finally calmed down. "Thanks."

"C'mon sis, wake up!" Kohaku pleaded. The two were next to Riko trying to wake her. Korra and Mako ran over and cut the bindings off. Korra caught her when she fell. The girl grunted in pain. What breathing she was doing was very ragged and coarse. She was covered in open wounds and broken bones.

Korra and Mako looked at each other desperately. She was on the verge of death.

* * *

Asami sprinted into the waiting room with Bolin right behind her. Her eyes widened. Lin and Mako were comforting Korra, who was a weeping mess. Asami fell to her knees. Bolin dove down and comforted her as she started crying, too. Korra heard her and ran to her. She grabbed her face to look at her.

"Asami, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I should've gotten there sooner…" Korra cried.

"W-what h-happened?" Asami asked.

Korra sighed and told her most of the story. "…She was tortured by them. They're doing surgery now but she's in critical condition…"

"W-what about Kohaku and Nami?"

"Tenzin came and took them back to Air Temple Island to stay with him. They're fine. Hardly a scratch on e-either on them. Riko s-sacrificed herself f-for them…"

Both of them started crying more.

* * *

Asami gasped at the sight of Riko two days later. She looked like a ragdoll that had been chewed up by Naga. The doctors managed to save Riko. She remained unconscious, though, for days, weeks even. Asami had quit going to work, instead spending most of her time at the hospital. Even Korra had stopped responding to many calls out. Lin took care of this city before she arrived when she was 17, she could take care of it again by herself. Tenzin and Pema took care of the kids, as their moms were too stressed to take care of them.

Asami stared at the countless machines hooked up to Riko. IV, respirator, support, etc. The machine beeped, counting her heartbeats. Bandages covered her motionless body. Her breath appeared on the mask every few seconds, signaling her breathing was regular again. A nasty bruise was still fresh on the side of her face.

Korra walked in with a bag of food. "Here Asami, I brought some dinner."

"I'm not hungry, Korra."

"Please, you've hardly eaten anything lately. You still need to take care of yourself."

"Korra."

Korra sat down next to her and held the food up to her with the chopsticks. "C'mon babe, I'll feed it to you if you want."

Asami blushed. She reluctantly took a bite from it. She only ate half of the plate, but Korra still smiled at her.

"Thank you, hun. Do you wanna go for a walk? You've sat in this stuffy room for long enough."

"Korra, I can't leave her."

Korra sighed. "Asami, there's nothing we can do for her except wait for her to wake up."

"We can talk to her. We can be here when she wakes up."

"Well if she does wake up soon, you'll need some rest so you can comfort her." Korra persuaded.

Asami pondered it for a moment before she took Korra's hand. Korra led her around the hospital and then outside. Asami contently breathed in the fresh air. Korra wrapped her arm around her waist. "See? You're feeling better already."

Asami pouted. They sat down on the front stairs to watch the night sky. Korra pulled her onto her lap and Asami hugged her.

Something wet fell on Korra's shirt. She looked down and saw that Asami had started crying again. She pulled her closer.

"It's okay, Asami, you can cry." Asami hid her face in Korra's chest and began crying harder. Korra patted her hair. "Shhhh, it's alright. I've got you. I won't let go. Everything's going to work out…"

She kissed her forehead as the crying settled down. She could hear Asami breathing and knew that she had fallen asleep. She thought about taking her back home to sleep in her own bed for once, but she had a feeling that Asami would be furious if she did that, and carried her back to Riko's room.

* * *

The next morning, Asami groggily sat up and put a hand to her head. She realized that she was back in Riko's room and silently thanked Korra. Her wife had left, probably to deal with Avatar stuff.

She looked over at her daughter and sighed. The girl was still unconscious, no surprise there.

Asami had spent the next several hours just watching her daughter when suddenly a finger twitched. She watched, eyes growing wide, as more of her body started to move.

"Ngh!"

Asami jumped up and gently turned Riko to look at her. She started crying when she saw those beautiful green eyes of her daughter's looking straight into hers.

* * *

Korra stood bored at yet another press conference, the fourth this month. She was in the middle of speaking when she heard Lin whispering with an officer that had appeared out of nowhere.

Lin smiled as she laid a hand on the Avatar's shoulder. "Your daughter is awake." She whispered from behind.

Korra froze, then took off running from the stage. The press still yelled out questions at her. Lin stepped up to the mic. "That's all the time we have for questions today."

Korra burst through the door. Asami was hugging Riko tightly, crying over her. Korra felt something in her heart wake. She tackled them in a big hug, also crying.

"Do you think you can ease up a bit? It kind of hurts." Riko whispered.

Both quickly pulled away. Asami planted a kiss on her forehead and sat down on the bed. Tears still fell from her eyes as she quickly brushed them away.

"Thanks. Heh. So how long was I out that time?" Riko asked Asami. Her mother laughed weakly at the reminiscent line she pulled from when she got a concussion. "Awhile." She petted her head gently. "About 6 weeks."

Korra held her hand. "Do you remember what happened?"

"A little. It's all a bit fuzzy." Riko grumbled. She tried sitting up. She gasped and grabbed her side.

"Don't try moving. You're still hurt badly." Korra said.

Riko moaned. "Yeah, now it's all coming back to me. How bad is it?"

Korra sighed. "It's pretty bad… We thought that you weren't gonna make it."

Riko looked at her wide-eyed. "What?"

"You were beaten beyond recognition. The doctors saved your life. They sealed your open wounds and managed to heal some of your broken bones, but there's still some that they couldn't heal. Your ribs were the worst."

Riko pulled the blanket up to look down at her body with surprise written on her face. Her stomach was bandaged up tightly for her ribs and she had casts on her left leg and right arm. Most of her body was still bandaged as well.

She groaned and placed her good hand to her head. She cried a few tears, mumbling to herself. "It's okay, it's okay, because they're safe…" Suddenly she sat straight up ignoring all the pain. "They're safe right?! Kohaku and Nami! Where are they?!"

Her mothers grabbed her and eased her back into bed. "Yes, they're perfectly fine! Because of you, they weren't hurt." Asami said. Riko sighed and relaxed into bed.

"Y-you sacrificed yourself…for them, right?" Korra asked.

Riko looked down. "Yeah. I'm their big sister, I had to protect them… I'm sorry."

Korra hugged her. "It doesn't matter now, just as long as everyone's safe."

A cough from the door interrupted them. "Hope I'm not disrupting anything, but these two couldn't wait any longer." Tenzin said. Kohaku and Nami dashed around him and jumped into their parents' arms.

They laughed happily. Their family was back together again. Tenzin smiled and walked off.

"How'd you guys know?" Asami asked.

"We heard mom on the radio. She stopped in the middle of a speech and ran off." Nami told her. Korra scratched her neck in embarrassment. Asami laughed and pulled her wife in for a kiss. All three of the kids ewww-ed.

Kohaku walked around to the other side of his sister and grabbed her hand. "You fucking idiot…" He whispered. Riko smiled weakly at him. His voice picked up and his grip on her hand tightened. "You nearly died. You scared the crap out of us! Why didn't you just let them beat us too?! You wouldn't have gotten so hurt!"

Riko chuckled. "Boy, you don't get it? I'm your big sister. I'll always be there to stop the bad guys from hurting you. Besides, if I hadn't stepped up, you both would be in here with me."

Nami climbed out of Asami's arms and into bed with Riko, making her gasp quietly. They watched as Nami gently hugged Riko and Riko put her arm around her in return. Riko looked at her parents as if asking for an answer. They just smiled at her.

"You scared me…" Nami said.

"Uh, I know, but we're okay now." Riko replied. Maybe the two were finally starting to get along.


	13. Chapter 7-2

**Riko: age 14**

 **Kohaku: age 11**

 **What. The. Hell.**

* * *

Riko had been feeling bad for a few days now, but had no idea why and she didn't say anything to her mothers. Suddenly it seemed to make sense. When she looked down as she was using the toilet, all she saw was red. She bit her lip to stop a scream from erupting. Now she knew why she felt sick, but why was she bleeding? She sat still for a few minutes, determining what to do next. But she was lost. After some time, she couldn't contain herself anymore. "MOM!"

* * *

Korra ran from the kitchen back to the master suite, where Asami was laid up in bed. She had taken the day off due to her terrible cramps. But Korra had gotten used to Asami's time of the month and was always willing to take care of her during that painful time.

Korra hurriedly carried a tray with soup, juice, and pain relievers. She nudged the door open with her hip and set the tray on the bedside table. She frowned when she saw that her wife was still curled up in pain and hadn't even noticed her. The Avatar carefully rubbed her back. "Sweetie, I brought some medicine up. I think it would help."

Asami glanced over. She didn't enjoy it, but she knew Korra was right. The woman did take care of her each month after all. She painfully switched sides to reach for the pills and quickly grabbed the juice to finish it off. Korra sat beside her on the edge of the bed, waiting to see if it would work. Eventually Asami began to sit up and reached for the bowl of hot soup. Korra smiled as the CEO was finally able to eat something for the first time all day.

"Is it helping?" The Avatar asked.

Asami let out a small smile. "Yes it is actually. Thank you, dear. Even though I'm not really surprised. You've gotten good at this kind of stuff."

Korra smiled. "Anything for you, 'Sami."

They sat in silence while Asami ate for just a few minutes before they heard a scream. "MOM!"

Korra immediately took off. Asami quickly sat down the bowl and managed to follow behind Korra. It didn't matter to her, she had to make sure her children were safe.

"What is wrong with you?! I'm trying to help!" Kohaku yelled through the door.

"Just find mom, you idiot! You can't help me!" Riko screamed back.

"What does that even mean?!" He exclaimed. He went to turn around but then heard the pounding of footsteps approaching. Looks like their mothers had heard her scream too.

Korra rushed into Riko's room with a flame in her hand. "What's wrong?!"

Kohaku shrugged in panic. "I don't know! She won't let me help her!"

Both of the women rose a brow and carefully approached the bathroom door. "Uh, Riko what's wrong? We heard you scream."

A pause. "Tell Kohaku to leave first." She didn't know why, but she felt that this was something only her mothers could help her with.

"Why?!" Kohaku yelled again.

The couple didn't quite register what had happened, but nonetheless they ushered her brother out of the bedroom.

"Okay, he's gone. Can we come in now?" Korra asked.

Riko gulped before reaching to unlock the door. Her stomach didn't quite agree with the stretch and erupted in pain again. She was huddled over her knees in pain when they finally entered. They both gasped and Asami quickly realized what was happening. "Oh no, we never had the talk?! Korra, I thought you were gonna handle it!"

"Me?! I don't experience it the same way as most women. You know that!"

"Just because you're so in shape that you don't have a period most of the time doesn't mean you don't know how it works! Geez, you deal with mine every month!"

Riko began to panic while her mothers bickered about whose fault it was. "What 'talk' am I missing out on?!"

The arguing stopped and both women glanced back to her. Asami looked to Korra, who looked like she was beginning to panic as well. The CEO sighed and ushered her wife out of the room as well. "Wait, what're you doing?"

"You're not always good with your words, remember? I'll talk care of this one."

"But you're not feeling like yourself today."

"I know, which is why I think I'm better for this talk. What you can do is go make her some soup too, okay?"

Korra pouted, but nodded and left the room. Asami ventured back into the bathroom and shut the door. "Okay, first let me help you clean up. Then we can talk about what is happening, okay?"

Riko nodded nervously. In the four years of taking care of Riko, Asami was beginning to notice similarities between the earthbender and the Avatar. One thing was how Asami had to talk to both of them: gentle, yet firm.

Korra rushed back into the kitchen and began getting back out the same ingredients from earlier to make another soup bowl. She sighed and placed a hand to her head. They really should have had the 'talk' with Riko before all of this happened. But both of them had been consumed by their work that it must have just slipped by. She felt slightly guilty that they hadn't prepared for this.

"What happened?" A small voice squeaked from the doorway.

Korra looked over to see Kohaku. She stood still for a minute before a thought hit her. She could at least prepare him, right?

"Sit down, Kohaku. I need to talk to you."

"Is she gonna be okay?"

Korra chuckled. "Yeah, she'll be fine." She started mixing ingredients for the soup as she kept talking. "Look, we need to have a talk. About what's happening… Well, there's this thing called puberty. That's what your sister is going through right now. It'll happen to you too, but in a much different way."

She glanced over to make sure the boy was listening, which he was intensely. "What's happening to Riko? What'll happen to me?"

Korra chuckled and sighed. "Well, I won't go into detail about what's happening to Riko right now. Just know that she's in a lot of pain and-"

"EVERY MONTH?!" Riko screamed, startling Korra and Kohaku.

"Oh boy, Asami got to the best part." Korra joked.

"So I'm guessing whatever it is will happen every month, huh?" Kohaku asked, chuckling along with his mother.

"Yeah, every month for a few days. So you might want to be careful around her during that time." Korra warned.

The firebender sat at the table to think. Korra let him process it while she finished the soup. "So does this happen to you and momma?"

Korra paused to think as well. She didn't want to confuse the kid so much about how each case can be different. "Yes, your mother and I do go through this still. Every woman does."

"Why?"

Korra gulped and began panicking. She couldn't do the 'birds and the bees' talk by herself. Nope. "Heh, let's save that topic for another time."

Kohaku sighed. "Fine. So what'll happen to me?"

Korra smiled, happy that he let the subject go so easily. "Well yours should be much less painful. You should grow a lot in a short time span and you might even grow a beard." Korra said, hoping that her son would enjoy the prospect of growing facial hair.

His eyes grew wide. "A beard?! Really?! Awesome!"

Korra laughed. "Don't be too upset if it doesn't happen quickly, kid."

"KORRA, SOUP! ANYTIME NOW!" Asami yelled through the walls.

Korra jumped and quickly grabbed the hot bowl and ran upstairs. She hurriedly set the bowl down once she made it there, mostly because she was in such a hurry she didn't use pot holders to protect her hands. Asami rose a brow as Korra waved her hands in the air in pain and ran to the bathroom to run cold water over them.

Asami sighed and slapped a hand to her forehead. "I swear, Korra…"

"I'm fine! Eat the soup!"

Asami looked back to their daughter. The earthbender was pouting even as she tried to make holding her sides look cool.

"Korra knows how to take care of this kind of stuff. So eat the soup she made." Asami persuaded.

Riko grimaced as her stomach rumbled in pain and used the blanket to grab the bowl. She stared down at it, still pouting. She glanced up and rose a brow. How could Korra possibly know how to take care of this, this thing, if she herself doesn't get it often? She sighed. She trusted her adoptive parents.

Asami smiled when Riko finally took a bite and instantly color returned to the girl's face. "Whoa, this is good actually."

"See? I told you. Just relax for today and we'll see what tomorrow brings." Asami replied.

Korra finally exited the bathroom and Asami dragged her out of the room. As soon as the door to Riko's room closed, Asami hunched over in pain. Korra quickly grabbed her and gently picked her up off of the ground. "Just get me back in bed, please."

"You seemed fine in there."

"It's called a façade, Korra. I didn't want to freak her out too much already. Besides, I doubt hers will be as bad as this."

"Does a massage sound good?"

Asami sighed. "It does actually."

Korra smiled. "Okay then. Massage it is."

* * *

"Hey guess what?"

Riko looked over her covers to see her little brother in the doorway. "What, squirt?"

"I'm gonna grow a beard." He said, planting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest.

"What're you talking about?" Riko was genuinely interested and shuffled to sit up.

"Ma told me about puberty. I'm gonna grow a beard!"

Riko slapped her forehead. "What else did that woman tell you?"

"She, uh, well all she told me about yours was that you'd be in a lot of pain and that I should stay away."

"She's right."

"Why?"

Riko growled. She really didn't feel like explaining puberty in detail to the boy. Why did Korra even say anything to him? "Because I'll get emotional and I might take it out on you."

Kohaku pursed his lips to take this new info in. "But I'm gonna grow a beard."

"You're not gonna grow a beard."

"But ma said so!"

"She doesn't know what she's talking about! She's a girl. How would she know?!"

"She does too know what she's talking about! She's not that naïve tribe girl anymore!"

"How do you even know about that?! Momma's only told me a little bit about their youth!"

Kohaku suddenly smirked. "I know something you don't know." He said in a singsong tone.

Riko growled. She threw the covers up and the boy took off running down the hall. "Come back here! You're gonna tell me!"

All the couple heard was the sudden pounding racing around the house. Korra paused the back massage and the duo sat up. "What-" "Are they doing?"

"Stay here, I'll check it out hun." Korra said, rubbing her back once more before searching for their kids. Asami sighed. She had a feeling that once this played out for a few years, Riko would end up like Korra.

"Come back and tell me!" Riko yelled. Kohaku laughed and just replied with a no. They rounded a corner and suddenly everything came to a screeching halt.

"Ma!" They shouted nervously in unison.

The Avatar rose a brow. "What in the world are you doing?"

"Uhhh…" The two just glanced at each other.

Riko suddenly came up with a backup plan. "You told him he was gonna grow a beard?"

Korra was startled. "Well, uh, yeah? It could happen. It's a part of the process."

"How's that fair?! Why do I have to bleed every month while he gets to grow a beard?!"

Kohaku cautiously slipped away from his sister and glanced to his mother. Korra noticed and laughed nervously. She leaned down to his height and straightened his shirt. "Don't worry about it, kid. It's a girl thing."

"You didn't even tell him the whole thing?!" Riko exclaimed.

Korra noticed her daughter's escalating mood and pushed Kohaku away. "Riko, dear, calm down. He'll learn about it later, I'm sure."

"Oh really? Just like how you prepared me for this? And how am I supposed to be calm when I'm having this 'thing' to deal with!" Riko fired back.

Korra bit the inside of her cheek. How was she supposed to respond? It's not like this with Asami.

"Room. Now." A commanding voice demanded from behind. They all turned around to see Asami standing there in her pajamas. "Go. You heard me."

Riko growled and stormed off. "Not fair I'm telling you!"

"Don't care." Asami growled back, pointing to the direction of her room.

"What does he know that I don't?!" She called out one last time.

Both women rose a brow. "What does that mean?" Asami asked.

"I don't actually know." Korra said.

Kohaku played it off as if he didn't know either.

* * *

"Feeling better?" Asami asked from the doorway. The mass under the blankets moved around until a head popped out.

"Maybe. What's it to you?"

"Apparently not. I'll come back later."

"No! I mean, ugh, I'm sorry. I don't know what is wrong with me."

Asami's gaze softened and she sat on the edge of the earthbender's bed. "It's okay. It's a lot to take in in one day. I'm not surprised with how crazy you're acting for your first time, but it'll get better I promise."

Riko remained silent as her mother caressed her head in a caring manner. The gesture always calmed her. "Momma?"

"Yeah?"

"The pain actually got better after I chased Kohaku halfway through the house."

"Really?"

"Yeah… Why'd it do that?"

Asami sighed. She was afraid this would happen, not that it was necessarily a bad thing. It would mean less pain for the girl. "Well sweetie, some women have it easy. For some girls, if they just work out and keep moving, the pain goes away and sometimes they won't even get this monthly visit from Mother Nature."

"You're not like that." Riko stated as a matter of fact.

"Correct. Some women aren't that lucky. But from what you're saying, you might be."

"Is that a good thing?" Riko asked nervously.

Asami chuckled. "Of course it is! Who wants to go through this every month?"

"Not me." Riko said with a slight smile returning to her face.

"Korra's like that, too. That's why I didn't want her handling this, because she doesn't have much personal experience with it other than dealing with mine."

"So how do I do it?"

"Well… I think if you keep up what you already do, working out, training with Korra, etc., then I think it may work out on its own."

Riko paused before nodding like she had made up her mind on something. "Thanks, momma."

"Of course, sweetie. I'm sorry this whole mess could've been avoided if we had just prepared you more."

Riko chuckled. "It's okay. We worked it out, didn't we? I know how busy you two are anyway."

Asami paused after that last comment. "Riko… You know we love you and Kohaku, right?"

Riko jumped up, afraid she had offended the woman. "Y-Yeah I know that! I was just saying that I understand."

Asami sighed. "You shouldn't be the one saying that you understand. I'm sorry." She quickly leaned down and kissed her on the forehead before whisking away.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I need to talk to Korra."

* * *

"We're making more time for them."

Korra rose a brow when Asami returned to bed. She had slowly fallen asleep since the woman went to talk to their daughter. "What're you talking 'bout 'Sami?"

"Do you know what Riko just said to me? I apologized for being too busy for them both and she said the she _understands_. Understands?! She shouldn't be saying that. We're supposed to be the ones who are understanding when they question what's happening around them!"

Korra quickly sat up upon hearing Asami's rambling. "Asami, you knew this could happen from the moment we took in Riko. Me and you both knew that we could become preoccupied by our jobs."

"No!" Asami yelled, making the Avatar jump. "I'm not letting that happen! My job doesn't mean anything to me if I can't take care of my family. I'm not letting them be raised by housemaids like I was! You and I are taking more time off for them."

Korra didn't bother arguing. She was in favor of it in fact. She smiled and ushered her wife to lay down with her in bed again. Asami sighed and sat down next to her. "I'm all for it, dear. I want to be there for them more too."

Asami brightened up and kissed her on the cheek. "You really are the best, Korra."

"Only for you." She smirked, wrapping her arms around her to soothe her.

* * *

Lesson learned? Well, let's just say they were better prepared when they finally adopted Nami and she reached that time too. The waterbender hit it earlier than most girls. Asami thought maybe it might've been partially because Riko kept hinting at it jokingly with the girl, thinking that their parents would forget to have this talk with her too. However, one day Asami dragged Nami away from the earthbender to the master suite and rushed to slam the door in Riko's face.

"Mommmmm, I wasn't going to say anything!"

"Shush, I'm having the talk with Nami and you're not invited."

Riko smirked. "Why not?"

"Because you're basically a second Korra!"

Riko busted out with laughter. A few minutes later, a scream erupted throughout the house, making the earthbender hold her sides in laughter again.

"EVERY MONTH?!"

* * *

 **A/N: I waited to upload this so that the ending made more sense. I know a few chapters back I portrayed Korra as a bad cook, but I just imagine that she's an amazing cook when it comes to Water Tribe food and that the soup is a Water Tribe remedy.**

 **Also I know not everyone experiences puberty in the same way. This is just my interpretation. This was more of a joke/funny chapter because I was cramping really bad at the time of writing this. So don't take it too seriously.**


	14. Chapter 10

"I think she's healing quite nicely if I do say so myself. We'll take out the rest of the stitches today and see if she can get up and about!" The nurse explained to Asami as they walked down the hallway. Asami nodded graciously. "Thank you for taking such good care of her!"

"Oh it was our pleasure! She's such a lovely kid, even if she does get a little rambunctious sometimes, haha."

The nurse slid open the door to Riko's room and gasped. Asami peered around her, then slapped her palm to her face. "Well, you did say you wanted her to get up and about."

The nurse ran off screaming. Asami sighed and began her search around the hospital.

Riko laughed as she could hear the nurses yelling completely across the hospital campus. She looked through the window to view the outside world. Everyone was out there, living their own lives, while she was stuck here in this stuffy hospital. She didn't belong in here, but she was aware that she wouldn't get far in her current condition.

Asami rounded a corner and saw a teenager sitting in the windowsill at the end of the hall. She sat across from her on the ledge, crossing her arms. Riko paid no attention, though. She sat dazed and lost in watching the world outside.

Riko felt a hand land on her shoulder and blearily looked up at her mother.

"C'mon, the nurses are absolutely losing their minds worrying about you."

Riko sighed and stepped off of the ledge. She winced in pain as the weight of her body came back to her as she stood up. Asami immediately grabbed her arm to steady her. "How'd you manage to get this far from your room?"

"Heh, very carefully. Ngh!"

Asami swung her arm over her shoulder and helped her walk back to her room.

"I can't believe you walked so far by yourself!" The nurse exclaimed. "You must be starting to feel back to normal again!"

"As normal as I'll ever be." Riko grumbled.

The nurse had unwrapped the bandages on her arm and was just starting to pull the stitches out.

Great, more scars. She thought.

She groaned as they were pulled from her flesh. It made her remember when Korra pulled out the stitches in her arm after her bear trap accident. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Speaking of which, where was Korra?

* * *

Korra screamed as Nami and Kohaku fought inside the house. "No! I said stop!" But they refused to listen and threw fire and water at each other. She jumped in the middle of it, stopping the elements from flying further. "Damnit, if you're gonna fight at least go outside!"

The two growled and ran to the arena out back. Korra just watched as they fiercely fought it out in the courtyard. What had gotten into them lately? Whatever it was, it seemed to be getting worse the longer Riko was gone.

* * *

"Do you wanna try walking around some more? You'll have crutches this time." The nurse asked, motioning to the crutches leaning against the opposite wall.

Riko shook her head. "No, I'm tired from earlier." She pulled the blanket up to her chin, already starting to doze off. The nurse chuckled and walked out. Asami, smiling, grabbed Riko's good arm, freshly bandaged again.

"Get some rest, sweetie. I'll be back tomorrow." Asami said. She gave her a kiss on her forehead before walking towards the door.

"Can't you stay a little longer?" Riko pleaded. Asami looked back at her. Dark bags hung under her daughter's eyes, which opened and closed slowly in weariness.

"It's late. You'll be out like a light in a few minutes, hun. Besides, I have a feeling things have gotten out of hand at home."

Riko chuckled. "Yeah, probably if you left Korra with them."

Asami sighed, nodding her head.

"Good luck with that, momma."

* * *

Korra heard a car pull into the driveway and cursed. She quickly swept up the last of the dirt and ash and dumped it in the trash. Keys jiggled at the door. She looked around and realized that some of the furniture was still overturned. She ran to the table and flipped it upright. Then she grabbed the couch, trying to place it upright before Asami walked in.

Asami sighed at the sight of her destroyed living room. She watched as Korra pushed the couch until it was back in its rightful place. Only then did Korra notice her wife in the doorway. "Asami!"

"I'm getting a nanny from now on." Asami sighed.

"No, no, it's okay! I'm taking care of it!"

"So where are our kids?"

Korra felt sweat run down the side of her face. "Ummm…"

"Great." Asami said. She walked to the back of the house. Just as she had assumed, her kids were still fighting it out, even this late at night.

Kohaku smirked as he felt someone approach him from behind. Nami shot a string of water at him but he dodged, hoping it would hit whoever was behind him. The woman dodged as well and aimed a kick at him. He slid underneath of her leg. He jumped up from behind her and shot a punch at her. She caught his hand and spun him around and planted him into the ground. He groaned as she held his arms behind his back and sat on him.

"You could've just asked if you wanted a sparring match with me." Asami said, smirking.

"Mommmmm…" He groaned.

"You're in big trouble, that means you too missy!" Asami yelled as she saw Nami trying to sneak away. The mother grabbed both children and dragged them inside.

* * *

Korra smiled softly at the sight of her daughter. It was early so she was still sound asleep. She sat down in the chair beside her bed and grabbed her hand. The Sun drew up behind the blinds, shining on her body. Even with her scrapes and bruises, Riko was beautiful to her. She gently placed her hand on the long bruise on the side of her face. Riko winced and shuffled around, but remained asleep. Korra kissed her forehead and pulled away from her.

Riko mumbled in her sleep and pulled Korra's hand closer to her, cuddling with her arm. Korra chuckled. Riko's eyes fluttered open, landing on her mom.

"Ma." She smiled.

"Hey there my little badgermole. How you feeling?"

She sat help with Korra's help. "Ngh. Well, I've been worse, heh." She looked around. "Where's momma?"

"She's staying with the kids. It's just me for today."

"So they did get out of hand, didn't they? I mean if she's staying with them today…"

"Yessss, they had a little fight yesterday and your momma was the one who put an end to it." Korra said.

Riko chuckled. "She can certainly strike fear into anyone with her anger."

"Ain't that the truth."

Both laughed and sat talking for some time.

"Are you hungry? It's almost noon. We can get something to eat downstairs if you want." Korra asked.

Riko nodded her head. Korra helped her stand up and handed her the crutches from the wall. Riko smiled at the small amount of freedom she was regaining. Korra walked beside her as she hobbled down the hallway.

Later that evening, her doctor came by. He checked her vitals and examined her injuries. He pressed down on her old wounds to make sure they had sealed shut. He touched the bruises on her stomach, making her wince. The bruises clearly outlined her ribs.

"There's not much more we can do for broken ribs other than wait it out, but most of your other wounds have healed. The casts won't come off for a few more weeks, but that's no reason to keep you locked up here." He offered a smile. "And you've been walking around more. I'm more than satisfied with your recovery and would be willing to discharge you in a few days if you want."

Riko smiled wide. "Really?! That's awesome!"

Korra watched as she punched the air in excitement. Suddenly she was tackled. "Oof!" Riko hugged her tight and cried a little bit. "I know, hun, you're gonna be alright."

* * *

Korra burst through the front doors and ran around the house looking for her wife. "'Sami! I have great news!" She found her in her office, finally starting to work on some new blueprints. Her wife turned her chair around to face her.

"Korra! What is it?" Asami asked, startled by her entrance. She noticed the huge smile on her face.

"She's finally coming home," was all that Korra said. Asami jumped out of her seat cheering.

"No way?! Korra, that's amazing! Oh Spirits, I'm so happy." Asami exclaimed. She wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her in close, lips just barely touching. "When?!"

"The doc just said in a few days."

The two stared into each other's eyes until they noticed how close they were. Asami pulled away slightly and giggled embarrassingly. Korra pulled her back to her by her hips. "I was kind of enjoying that for a moment." Korra whispered.

Asami blushed but smirked. "Were you?" She removed one of her hands from behind her neck and danced it from her chest to her chin. Her finger then gracefully hovered over her lips. "I guess maybe you do deserve a treat for bringing good news."

Korra kissed her finger. She then took the finger in her mouth and lightly sucked on it. Asami gulped and placed a hand to her heated face. Both of them were blushing deeply. It had been awhile since they had done anything intimate like this. Her lips popped as she let go of the finger. "I'd like that." She said before placing a forceful kiss on her lips. Asami gasped and wrapped her arms back around her neck. Korra grabbed her butt and lifted her off of the ground, which alarmed Asami and she gasped in surprise, clinging to Korra. She noticed the smirk on her face and commented on it. "Showoff."

Korra slammed her into the wall as they kissed again. Korra's hands ravaged through her curly hair. Suddenly she pulled on her hair, making Asami loll her head back, and attacked her neck. Asami clawed at Korra's sides. Korra smirked and bit at the areas she knew would set her off. Asami moaned. She pulled at Korra's short hair and ran her hands through it.

Korra bit down hard on her neck, drawing blood. She sucked on it before licking up the mess, all the while listening to Asami's moans.

Suddenly Asami pulled her up and kissed her hard. Now it was Korra's turn to moan. Asami bit down on her bottom lip and continued until she broke skin and blood spread between their lips and down her chin.

It was definitely going to be one of those nights where both of them acquired marks and bruises.

* * *

Riko's eyebrows rose at the sight of both of her mothers entering her room two days later. "What the hell…? Ya know what, I don't even want to know. Why didn't either of you come yesterday?"

The two looked at each other.

Riko sighed. "Actually forget I asked, I can just imagine…"

Both Korra and Asami were bruised and battered. Riko saw the bruises on their necks. There were a few scratch marks left on Korra's unclothed arms. Didn't she have any decency? Asami should've at least told her to cover up! But they were probably too out of it to even notice still.

"Well I'm glad you're here now. I want out of this hellhole. I think Doc will let me leave today." Riko said, crossing her arms as best as she could with a cast.

The couple gave a nervous chuckle and sat down beside her bed. Korra ruffled Riko's hair in an attempt to lighten the mood. The girl pouted at her.

"You really must be feeling better if you're making sarcastic remarks like that." Asami said.

Riko breathed in the fresh air in delight; her discharge papers slightly crumpled in her hand holding onto a crutch. Korra helped her down the stairs to the sidewalk. Asami pulled up, waving at them from the driver's seat. Riko smiled brighter than ever and slid into the passenger seat. Korra jumped into the backseat and Asami drove the family home.

Korra ran to open the front door and Asami walked behind Riko in case she needed assistance. "Guys, I'm fine, c'mon…" She walked through the door. "Why's it so dark in here?"

The couple couldn't contain their smiles anymore, not that Riko was looking at them; she was looking at a dark living room.

Suddenly the lights flicked on and everyone came out of hiding behind couches and pillars, screaming 'surprise'. Confetti fell from the ceiling and balloons were tied up around the room.

Riko gasped and covered her mouth in surprise.

"Just because you missed your birthday doesn't mean we did. Happy 17th birthday badgermole!" Korra said excitedly. She dropped to the floor and slid underneath her. Riko jumped when she realized her mom was putting her on her shoulders for the first time in probably five years. She placed her hands on either side of Korra's head for support.

The crowd cheered for her. She watched for a minute, before timidly raising her good arm in the air with a fist. Everyone cheered more, making her smile. These people were here for her, they really cared for her. She knew everyone there. Tenzin and the air family. Chief BeiFong. Mako and Bolin. Even Senna and Tonraq! Leading the crowd were her two siblings, Kohaku and Nami. They ran about the room with silly string shooters.

Riko raised her other arm without a care in the world. "Woohoo! It's good to be home!"

Asami smiled at her newfound family. For the first time in months, Riko looked happy again. Truly happy. Her wife was just as happy as she was. Her two kids were ecstatic to have their sister back. Their friends and family were just as happy for them.

Their family was finally put back together again.

Korra leaned down to let Riko go greet her guests. The girl grabbed her crutches and raced towards her family; her newfound family. Her siblings pounced on her. "Riko!" Kohaku hugged her tight and Nami held onto her good arm. Riko paused. She never expected this kind of affection from either of them. She closed her eyes to prevent tears from falling and rested her head on his shoulder. She heard the snap of a camera light and knew Asami was taking pictures of them.

They let go of her and she greeted the rest of her guests. She went to the airbending family. Tenzin and Pema gave her gentle hugs. Jinora, being the wise one, hugged the girl, while her brother and sister were already nagging her about her condition. She shoved them off to let Riko greet the rest of her guests.

Riko smiled and went over to Mako and Bolin and the Chief.

"Riko, oh I'm so happy you're feeling better! Can I hug you?! I'll be gentle! I've just missed seeing you around!" Bolin said excitedly as always. Riko nodded and he swooped her up in a gentle bear hug. She giggled and swung her arms around the man. He released her and she looked at the other two. She humbly approached them, bringing her hands together and bowing. Lin quickly pulled her right up, though. "There's no need for that."

"There is though. If it weren't for you Chief, I'd be long since dead. Thank you for saving me." She looked at Mako. "And thank you Mako for helping Korra while I was kidnapped."

Mako just shrugged his shoulders. "It was nothing." Riko put her hand out, and Mako respectfully shook her hand.

"We're just glad you're safe." Lin said. She laid a hand on her shoulder. Riko looked her straight in the eye, then tackled Lin in a hug. Lin froze for a split second, but then returned the hug with equal force. "I was so scared for you. You could've died, Riko."

"I know, but you saved me, Chief." They pulled away. "So when can I start training with you again?"

"Don't start being a smartass now. It'll be weeks still before you return to training." Lin replied. Riko pouted, trying to hide her smile.

"Hey! When are you gonna come greet us?!" Tonraq yelled.

Riko giggled. "Grandpa! Grandma!" She walked her way over to them and her buff grandpa pulled her into a bear hug similar to Bolin. She happily swung her arms around him. She looked at Senna and motioned her over. The lady smiled and joined in their bear hug. They laughed, finally reunited with their granddaughter.

All the while Riko greeted her family, Asami and Korra were happily snapping pictures of the event with a bulky camera.

* * *

Korra and Asami stood on either side of Riko as Senna brought out the birthday cake from the kitchen. They turned the lights off as the candles on the cake brightened the room. Tonraq was standing at the camera, waiting to take the perfect shot.

He took a picture as Senna kissed Riko's cheek after setting down the cake in front of her. Another picture as Riko smiled cheekily at him, with Korra and Asami hugging her on either side. Then another when they kissed her cheeks at the same time, making her blush in embarrassment. Lastly, when Riko blew out the candles on the cake. Tonraq was thoroughly enjoying himself and began taking pictures of everyone else. He turned back to Riko at the sound of her giggle and smiled. He hurried to take the picture. Korra had placed a bit of icing on Asami's nose and licked it off right as her father snapped a shot of them. They blushed in embarrassment and he continued taking pictures. It soon turned into a slideshow of Korra licking Asami's nose, blushing in embarrassment, which turned to anger, to attacking her father and the camera.

Riko laughed until she almost fell out of her chair, which Senna grabbed and set back down.

"Korra, stop!" Asami yelled. She sighed as her wife began to wrestle with her dad in the middle of the living room in front of everyone. Soon it became a match. People were taking sides of who was gonna win. Kohaku slid up to Riko. "Wanna make a bet?"

Riko smirked without taking her eyes off of the fight. "How much?"

"10 yuans that Korra wins." He replied.

Riko smirked even harder and agreed to the bet. "You're so on!"

He smirked and began roaming around the room to take other people's bets.

Somehow Korra had managed to get on top of Tonraq and held his wrists at bay.

"C'mon grandpa!" Riko cheered. Korra looked back, stunned. Tonraq used that to his advantage and flipped Korra off of him, tackling her into the ground. Korra growled and kicked him at the hips to keep him off of her. As soon as she put her arms back to try to stand up, Tonraq jumped on her. He held her down by her arms. It was futile at this point. Korra was pinned. He smirked and helped her up. People around the room groaned, having lost a bet. It seemed more people had thought Korra was going to win. But that's not always true just because she's the Avatar. Riko knew her grandfather was going to win. He was just stronger, bulkier. Kohaku drudged up to her, handing her 20 yuans. He still had made a lot of money, though.

Korra ruffled her hair. "You bet against me?!"

"Yep. Grandpa is just stronger in that aspect."

Korra pouted and Tonraq sat down with them. "So when are you going to make another trip to the South?! You haven't visited in a long time now!"

Riko looked at her ma who was still pouting. "Pretty pretty pleaseeeeeee Korra?!"

Korra huffed. "I understand that we haven't been to the South Pole in a while, but Riko you're in no condition to travel. Even if you could, the cold would hinder your healing. I'm sorry Dad, but it's just gonna have to wait a few months."

Riko pouted and crossed her arms. Tonraq spoke up before she could respond. "You're right, Korra. Please just visit as soon as everyone is feeling up to it."

Korra smiled and nodded back at him.

Kohaku and Nami pulled Riko away from the adults to go play some party game of pin the tail on the sky bison.


	15. Chapter 11

Kohaku knocked on Riko's door before entering. She was sitting in bed, listening to a probending match on the radio with Nami. She smiled and patted the bed for him to sit down with them. They listened to the match together until a commercial came on and she turned down the volume of the radio.

"I'm tired." Nami said, rubbing her eyes.

"Okay, sis, I'll take you to bed." Riko said, leading her sister to her bedroom and putting her to sleep. Her brother was still on her bed, waiting for her to return. "You two have gotten close."

"Yeah, it's been like this since I returned from the hospital. So what do ya need little bro?"

He looked down in shame before producing a little bag from his pocket. She gasped. "What the fuck are you doing with that?! I swear if you're still dealing out on the streets…"

"I'm not! We're done with that for good. I just, I didn't know what to do with this. I found it in my drawer. Forgot all about it. Heh…"

"What do you mean you don't know what to do with it? THAT almost got us killed!"

"I mean it feels like a waste just throwing it out." He groaned.

"Kohaku… I've gone months without that garbage. I don't want it. I say throw it out, but it's yours so…"

The boy pondered it for a minute, before walking into her bathroom. Riko heard the toilet flush. He came back empty-handed.

"You're the birthday girl. So it's gone. We'll never get caught up in that junk again."

Riko smiled and pulled her brother into bed with her, listening to the rest of the match on the radio.

After a while she spoke up again. "Wouldn't it be cool if we made a probending team?"

"Yeah."

"We should do it."

"What?! B-But you're still injured! And what about our parents? I doubt that they'll let us."

"We can do it under secret identities! And make up a team name!"

"But Asami loves going to probending matches!"

"Hmmmm… Well, she won't be going to many of them since she just recently went back to work. I'm sure she'll be busy for a while. They won't even notice!"

Kohaku pouted. "Why are we even talking about this? It'll be months before you're fully healed and able to bend again."

Riko smirked. "Because we're gonna have to convince Nami to join us. And we'll need the time to train anyway. I can oversee you two's training until I'm better."

"Riko she's not even ten yet!" Kohaku exclaimed, astounded.

The next day…

"No." Nami said, slamming her door on her siblings. Kohaku stepped his foot in the door before it shut. "C'mon Nami, it could be fun. And it will help us be better benders."

She huffed off, letting them in. The two older siblings stepped into the bright room.

"C'mon! I've already convinced him! What do I have to do to get you to join us?" Riko asked.

"First of all, you have to be fully healed and need to train before entering the probending arena. That'll be months!" Nami replied.

Riko nodded her head. "Yeah yeah, we're well aware of that. With me still healing, it'll give me plenty of time to train you two in the way of probending. I've listened to mom's old matches on the radio."

Nami thought it over for a few minutes. She huffed again. "Fine. But if we get caught, this is all on you."

Riko held her hands up in surrender with a smirk. "I'll take full responsibility. I am the oldest."

A few weeks went by and Riko watched over her siblings' training. She had found a probending manual guide and started teaching them the rules of the game. She would read them one of the rules and then they trained on just that rule for a week straight.

Asami passed by a window that overlooked the training area and saw her three kids huddled over something. She knew Riko was trying to help train them, but she had this nagging feeling that they were up to something. Korra came up behind her to hug her.

"Korra, I feel like they're up to no good."

"Why's that?"

"Well I've never seen them so focused before. They've been steadily training for a few weeks now with Riko."

"It's probably just a new scroll they found. And I'm sure they're excited to have Riko back to training with them, too."

"But-"

"Babe, don't worry about it. Be happy they're acting so civilized for once." Korra chuckled. Asami sighed and returned the hug.

* * *

Riko smiled as she sent some earth at Nami. She reveled at the sensation it sent through her body. She was finally bending earth again after 4 months. And it was the first time she ever practiced with Nami.

Just seconds before that, she had tossed the crutches after growing tired of Kohaku's smartass remarks. She marched over to him and threw him across the arena. Both of her siblings were shocked. She realized what she had done and looked down at her still broken arm and leg. She wasn't feeling as much pain as before. It was tolerable. She smirked.

'I can train again.'

Kohaku sat back and took a break, flipping through the booklet while Riko slowly regained her earthbending abilities. She sent small slabs of earth first. Nami shot it down with her water. They continued like this for a few minutes.

Asami walked past the window again and gasped. "Riko?! Korra! Korra!" She ran down the stairs as fast as she could and literally ran into her wife.

"Asami, what's wrong?!"

"Riko's bending! I saw it from the window!"

Korra went wide-eyed and they ran out to the arena. She watched in awe as Riko bent the earth to her will once again. Even with one free hand and one working leg, she worked the earth like it had never left her in the first place. And she was smiling like she used to.

Korra's own smile widened as her daughter lifted heavier boulders into the air. Asami held a hand over her mouth, too much into shock to say anything. Kohaku smiled as he saw his sister's strength returned.

Riko threw the boulders at Nami, but she dodged it and shot water in her direction. Riko spun on her good foot to dodge it. It had probably only been about 10 minutes into their fight, but she was exhausted. She sat down in the dirt breathing heavy. Everyone ran to her. She was about to pass out when Korra sat behind her to catch her. She leaned into her.

Asami bent down in front of her. "Riko, are you okay?!"

Riko smiled warily. "Heh, yeah… Huff, I'm just… Huff, tired…"

"You were doing pretty well for just returning to practice." Korra said. She carefully picked her up and carried her to her room. She tucked her into bed and she was out like a light, making Korra chuckle.

The next day, Riko was back out in the arena with her brother and sister. No more crutches for her. She smiled as she clutched the guidebook, going over the next few rules. They listened close and did as she said. This training regime continued for another month until Riko got her casts removed.

* * *

Riko blanched at the sight of the tiny saw that was going to cut open her casts. She looked at Asami for support. Her mother was already holding her hand.

"You're not even going to feel a thing. Just hold still." The doctor said.

Riko tensed as the man started sawing through the material. She closed her eyes, but opened them when the machine turned off momentarily. She blinked. The cast on her arm was cut right down the middle, freeing her arm. She lifted her arm, noticing the lack of muscle in it, and pouted. The man cut the cast on her leg and she was finally free. He said that there still wasn't anything that they could do for her ribs, but they looked like they were healing nicely.

Suddenly Riko grew giddy, smiling brightly. Asami helped her off of the table. She was finally able to place both feet back on the ground. They thanked the doctor and left. Slowly she regained the ability to walk on both feet. Asami held onto her still in case she fell. But as her confidence grew she walked faster and ended up nearly running back to the car. Asami smiled and kept pace with her.

* * *

Asami heard grunts coming from her small gym in the house and peeked in. Her daughter was hitting a punching bag roughly. She sighed. Riko was training in here more and more often ever since she got her casts off. She had lost a lot of muscle and was working hard to put it back on.

"You know, sometimes it's helpful to have a partner to train with." Asami said after entering the room.

Riko glanced over and paused her training. She was wearing the bandages on her arms again like old times. She wore a black sports bra and a pair of her old baggy shorts. Bandages still covered her stomach to protect her injured ribs. And she stunk horribly with sweat.

"Want to join me?"

Asami waved her hand over her nose. "You stink. And I can't join you today because I have a business meeting, but maybe tomorrow?"

Riko smiled brightly like an idiot and nodded.

The next day, Riko saw her mom enter the gym in similar workout clothes to hers, except Riko wore loose fitting shorts and Asami wore tight spandex shorts. Her black hair was tied up in a high ponytail. She didn't bother to put on makeup, knowing she was just going to sweat it all off.

Riko blushed slightly and scratched her cheek. She wouldn't admit it, but Asami was hot. She laughed at herself, making Asami raise a brow.

"Nothing, haha let's get started."

Korra watched from the door with amusement as her wife and daughter fought it out in the gym. The two seemed to take turns jabbing and dodging. Sweat rolled down their chins.

Asami slid through Riko's defense and punched her in the shoulder. She staggered back, but came back throwing a punch at her that she missed. Asami aimed a kick at her legs. She was purposely avoiding her stomach as to not hurt her. Riko landed flat on her face. She growled and stood back up, raising her fists. Strategically she raised her leg to kick at Asami's head, but Asami caught her leg and swung her back onto the floor mat.

She sat up, growling at her mother. "There's no way I'll ever beat you."

"That may be true, but don't let that stop you now." Asami said, still standing in her fighting position.

Riko grimaced as she stood back up. "I think I'm done for today."

Asami released her pose. "Are you okay? I didn't hit you too hard, did I?"

Riko chuckled. "No, I'm just tired and I still need to go train with the other two."

"Alright, well that's up to you." Asami said, shrugging her shoulders.

Only after Riko dashed off did Asami notice her wife leaning against the wall. Asami blushed lightly and swayed her hips as she sauntered over to her. Korra grinned stupidly. She grabbed her waist as Asami wrapped her arms around her. Korra planted a kiss on her lips, slowly pushing Asami back. They giggled as they fell to the gym floor to continue this activity.

Riko ran out to the arena. The other two had already started, though. "You didn't even wait for me!" They paid no attention to her. She sighed and flipped through the guidebook. They'd gone over most of the rules. Yet, probending season was still 2 months away. She sighed again, figuring they would just spend that time honing their skills.

* * *

Riko smiled as she rode on Naga with Korra to catch the ferry to Air Temple Island. She latched onto Korra as Naga rounded a few corners. "You okay?" Korra asked through the wind. Riko nodded happily.

Every once in a while, Korra would take Riko with her to meditate with the air family.

The duo raced up the hill only to see the family waiting for them. "Oh, how nice of you to join us so late, Avatar Korra." Tenzin spoke mockingly, though he greeted her daughter happily. "It's so good to see you Riko! How have you been feeling?"

"I've been feeling great. Thank you Uncle Tenzin. I actually been able to train more and more each day." She replied.

"That's splendid! I'm glad to hear such good news."

Korra sat down next to Jinora and Riko sat down next to Korra. Riko watched as the airbenders returned to meditating. Korra eased into position and joined them. Riko shook her shoulders loose, breathing deeply. She brought her fists together and started meditating.

When she woke from her trance, the others were already gone. She pouted and went to find them practicing airbending. She saw that a now twelve-year-old Rohan was still doing the spinning gates. She sat nearby and watched. Jinora was overseeing his training today and sent more air at him. He managed to only get hit once before reaching the other side. Riko clapped happily.

"Oh, Riko I didn't see you there!" Jinora said. "Thanks for joining us today!" The girl was probably close to 23 now and had her airbending tattoos. In fact, all 3 of the older children had airbending tattoos.

"I love coming to meditate with you all!" Riko replied.

They watched Rohan try a couple more times at the spinning gates. At one point she stood up and wandered closer to the device. "Can I try?" She asked hesitantly.

Jinora shrugged her shoulders. "I mean you can if you want to that badly, but it's really hard for other people. And are you even in good condition? You could get hurt."

Riko shrugged her shoulders as well. "Well we'll find out, won't we?"

Jinora sighed and blew a light wind into the device. "I'll go easy on you for your first time."

Riko smirked and dove in. She managed to slide through a couple doors before getting wacked in the forehead. She recoiled and got hit in the back.

Breathe. Breathe. Focus. I can do this.

She bounced off of that door and continued spinning the rest of her way out. Jinora's jaw was dropped. "Y-You only got hit twice?! I must've went way too easy on you!" She sent a powerful wind into the doors and let a leaf drift through the machine. "Wanna try again?"

Riko watched the leaf for a minute, watching how it moved with ease through the gates. "Sure, you're on!"

She got hit a few more times that try, coming out with a few bruises. They laughed together and she dove back in. She was slowly getting the hang of it. After a few tries, she suddenly felt at ease, remembering the motion of the leaf. She threw her arms up and slid through with ease. She twirled past the doors and safely made it to the other side. She jumped at the sudden outburst of claps. Apparently she had drawn in a crowd. Korra and Tenzin ran over and congratulated her.

"That's not an easy task and you beat it in just an hour!" Tenzin said.

"That was amazing!" Korra exclaimed.

Riko smiled and laughed.

She jumped on Naga as they said their goodbyes and headed back home. She decided to take the rest of the day off. Because the next morning, she was headed to the police station.

Kohaku asked if she wanted him to come along but she refused. She hesitantly walked out of the house and stepped onto the sidewalk. She nervously walked on, avoiding bumping into people. This was the first time she had been outside by herself since the incident. She put her fists in her pockets and walked straight to the station. She safely made it and entered the Chief's office. Lin looked up and smiled. "I was wondering when you'd make it in to see me."

Riko chuckled and sat down in a chair. "When do we start?"

* * *

Riko yelled out as earth smashed into her arms. She ricocheted and skidded across the dirt. She breathed in heavily and sat up. Dirt covered her head to toe, just like old times. Lin smiled down at her and helped her up. "C'mon kid, let's do it again."

Riko nodded and they faced each other again. She bent the earth from the ground and shot it at her teacher. Lin happily dodged them and sent her own earth rocks back at her. Riko ducked. They exchanged rocks for a few minutes before Lin pulled her old move of slowly getting closer. Riko saw her approach and sent a direct shot at her. Lin jumped over and landed in front of the girl. They exchanged punches and kicks. Lin managed to hit her in the chest and she staggered. Lin used that to place her leg behind her and trip her. Riko flailed like an idiot and hit the ground with a thud. Lin smirked down at her again. "You're alright, for your first day back."


	16. Chapter 12

Riko smirked with her siblings as they entered an athletic store. She approached the man at the counter. "Excuse me, we're looking for some pro-bending gear. Do you think you can help us?"

The man smiled and led them around the shop, making sure they found all the necessary gear and sizes. "So I'm guessing you three plan to enter as a new team, huh?"

"Yes sir!"

He laughed, handing her some of the equipment. "I wish you good luck then!"

They paid and thanked him.

* * *

Kohaku slowly creaked open the front doors and peeked in. "It's clear!"

His sisters ran in with 3 big bags. Kohaku went ahead of them and scouted the area with them following behind until they reached Riko's room. They slammed the door shut and fell to the floor. "Woo! That was close." Kohaku said.

Riko laughed. "Alright, I'll hide all of the gear in my room. When it's time, you two will meet me in here and we'll sneak out through my window."

"Ya know we still have two weeks until our first match." Kohaku said.

"I know! I just want to make sure that we all know the plan." Riko replied.

Two weeks later, the two younger siblings nonchalantly wandered into Riko's room.

"Where's Korra and Asami?" She asked.

"They went to bed early." Nami said.

"Which is weird, but good for us." Kohaku said.

Riko raised an eyebrow and stuck her head out of the door. She could hear both women from down the hall and then heard something break. A light bulb went off in her head and she blushed.

"Ohhhh. Yeah, they're definitely 'in bed'. They won't even notice that we're gone. Let's go!" Riko said to them. They gathered up the gear and jumped out of the second story window. They smiled and ran off towards the arena.

As they prepared in their locker room, Toza, the gym manager, walked in. "You're the newbies, right?" The children nodded. "Alright, you're on in fifteen. By the way, you still need a team name."

Riko smirked. "Call us The Southern Stallions."

Toza nodded and walked out. Kohaku shook his head. "The Southern Stallions? Totally inconspicuous. Mom will never find out."

Riko looked back at him. "Shut up. Mom won't find out. Anyone could be from the South."

Nervously, they finished putting on the rest of their navy blue gear on. Riko hit both of them by the shoulders. "Loosen up. We're just here to have fun. Don't worry about the audience. We practiced for this. We're gonna win!"

Riko smiled wide as they were introduced and stepped onto the arena.

"Alright folks, here for the first time, the newbies, The Southern Stallions!" The announcer yelled out on the mic. Riko waved at the audience and her siblings copied her nervously.

The referee blew his whistled and it was on. Riko pulled the earth disks from the arena and sent them flying into one of their opponents. He blocked it and sent water in her direction. The elements were flying all over the arena. Nami faced a firebender and Kohaku faced an earthbender.

"Wow, this is truly amazing! I've never seen a better prepared newbie team! They must've trained just for this, folks! Just who are the Southern Stallions?!" The announcer talked on.

Suddenly Kohaku was hit and forced back to the last ring.

"Oh no! And the Stallions firebender is forced back! They better be careful now."

"Damnit." Riko cursed, flying earth in the opposite direction.

After another minute, the round ended. They lost that one.

"C'mon bro, we can do this!" Riko yelled at him.

The next round started with a bang. Riko fired earth at the waterbender and sent him flying into the water. Everyone paused, even Riko, then the elements flew.

"C'mon! We just have to dunk these two and we win!"

Riko sided with Nami and helped take down the firebender. They took turns shooting water and earth at him. The man dodged a couple before Nami shot him over the edge as well. They cheered, but then heard their brother yell out. They looked over and saw him fall over the edge. Riko glared at the earthbender menacingly. The duo fired at him just as they had with the other guy. This guy appeared stronger though, and just before they could send him flying, an earth disc sent Nami flying as well.

"Damnit!" Riko cursed again.

She and the man had a stare-off before simultaneously throwing earth at each other. She staggered a little bit, being pushed back to the line. She kept herself in the first ring and the rounded ended in a tie. The referee stepped down, a coin in his hand. "Heads. Tails." The opponents called heads and won the coin toss. "Which element do you choose?" He asked.

The earthbender smirked at Riko. "We choose earth." Riko returned the smirk and the two stepped onto the middle platform that raised above the others.

"C'mon, Riko, you can do it!" "Kick his ass!" her siblings cheered.

"Ladies first." The man said, waving her forward. She smirked, cracked her knuckles, and shot earth aimed for his stomach. He shot his own back and the earth turned to dust. She threw a punch and he dodged. He punched back and she dodged as well. He jumped back and started earthbending again. She blocked them and tried hitting him again. They exchanged blows for a minute, landing a few punches and kicks on each other, until he suddenly kicked her in the stomach and sent her flying off of the small platform. She landed near the edge of the arena, clutching her stomach in pain. Her siblings ran to her and helped her sit up. "Ngh!"

"You're hurt, Riko!" "We shouldn't have done this!" "I'm fine!" She growled.

She saw the opponents congratulating their earthbender for defeating her. She stepped up to the line, growling. Her siblings ran after her. "Riko, stop! We don't have to do this!"

"I said I'm fine! We're not quitting now. If we lose this round, we lose the game!"

They sighed and got into their stances. She stared at the opposing earthbender again, and as soon as the whistle was blown, dust covered the arena as earth exploded. Amidst the smoke, she saw an earth disk headed right for her and dodged at the last minute. She smirked, getting his game plan, and shot earth at his two teammates using her sensory skills.

The announcer saw two men flying from the smoke. "Oh no, folks! It looks like the Tigerdillos have lost its waterbender and firebender at the same time!" Suddenly Riko heard her siblings yell out and felt through her feet that they had been thrown off of the arena. "Oh and it looks like the same as happened to the Stallions! This is getting intense!"

The dust cleared and the earthbenders stared at each other again. Riko jumped up and rocketed earth at him. He blocked it with his own earth again, causing a little bit of dust to rise, enough for the two of them to be encased in it yet again. Riko smirked. She slid her feet across the ground graciously, sensing where the man was. Finally all of her training was starting to pay off. She flicked her hand up and earth shot into the man's abdomen. He coughed and shot one back in the direction from which it came from, but clearly he missed. He felt two pieces of earth ram into each of his shoulders and he was knocked back to the last ring, escaping the smoke. The girl jumped out of the smoke, smirking, and rocketed one last earth disc at his chest, sending him into the water.

The announcer was speechless for a moment. "That was… Incredible! I've never seen anything like it! For the first time, a newbie team has won by a knockout! And a hat trick at that! I don't believe it, folks!"

She waved at the cheering crowd and greeted her siblings that were running towards her. "Riko, that was amazing!" "You knocked all three of them out!"

Riko hugged them. "See? I told you I was fine."

They smiled and went back to the locker room. They left their gear in their lockers and went to take showers. Then the teens snuck back into their house from Riko's bedroom window. They giggled happily and returned to their bedrooms.

* * *

Asami walked past the hall that held the three of her children and heard snoring. She backtracked and listened closer. All three of them were still asleep. It was almost noon! She walked past Nami's room and Kohaku's room, which the loud snore was coming from, and stopped at Riko's room. She tapped on the door and got no response. She slowly slid open the door and snuck into the dark room. Riko was passed out in bed, the blankets thrown about wildly. She was snoring lightly with her mouth hung open, drool slipping out. Asami sighed and shook her shoulder lightly.

"Riko, wake up! It's almost noon."

She got a sleepy, incoherent response. She felt her forehead, thinking that maybe she was sick, but she wasn't overly warm. Still it was quite unusual that Riko and even Kohaku and Nami slept in this late.

'Hmm, they have been training hard lately. They could use the break.' Asami though. She kissed her forehead and left her room.

An hour later, she could hear all three siblings running about from inside her office.

"Shit! Get up! It's after 1 in the afternoon! We gotta go train!" Riko screamed, busting open their doors.

The two were startled, then, realizing the time, jumped out of bed and chased after her. Asami sighed, going to meet them in the hallway. "Stop."

Riko nearly ran into Asami as she blocked them off. "Momma! What?! It's 1 o'clock and we slept off the whole morning!"

"Yes, but you can't continue training like this without taking a break every now and then."

"Mom, we're fine! C'mon!" Riko pleaded.

Asami crossed her arms. "There's no point in arguing about it, Riko. I'm ordering you to take the day off."

Riko groaned, then sulked towards the kitchen. The two siblings hesitantly followed.

* * *

"And the Southern Stallions have done it again! Folks, these amateurs are on a roll! Their fifth match in a row! And they have yet to lose! At such a young age!" The trio waved at the crowd as the announcer spoke. "And we have yet to see their faces! Who are the Southern Stallions?!"

Riko laughed heartily at his remark. There was no way they were taking their helmets off, not unless they wanted their moms to kill them. They continued waving as they walked off of the arena.

"Where have you been?" Asami asked. She stood in her nightgown, hands on her hips.

The younger two gulped, but Riko smirked, holding up a few boxes of takeout. "We went out for dinner."

"It's after midnight."

"Yeah, so? We can have some fun, can't we?" Riko said, sauntering past her mother. The woman huffed as the other two followed her. As they rounded the corner, they all released the air they had been holding in. Riko wiped her forehead. "That was too fucking close."

"Where were they?" Korra asked sleepily as Asami crawled back into bed.

"They say they were just getting dinner, but I'm starting to suspect something else is going on." Asami replied. Korra chuckled and pulled her close.

"You always think that they're up to something."

* * *

"Riko!"

The teenager turned around and saw her sister. "They're listening to the pro-bending matches on the radio tonight!"

Riko growled slightly and went looking for their parents. She heard the announcer from the radio and listened from around the corner. She saw Korra holding Asami in her lap as they listened from the couch.

She huffed and ran back to her room. "Damn it! They're listening to the matches tonight!"

"What do we do?!" Kohaku asked.

Riko growled and held her hand to her forehead. "We do what we normally do. We sneak out through my window and go to our match. They can't know that we left the house, though, or they're gonna know for sure. Ugh! C'mon, we need to leave now or we'll be late."

She quickly scribbled down a note and left it on her nightstand. "I don't want them to freak out if they find out that we're gone."

They nodded at her and then jumped through the window.

"Folks, tonight is a match well-anticipated! The Mo Ce Mongoose Lizards vs the Southern Stallions! Will the Mongoose Lizards be able to stop the Stallions new reign?!" The announcer cracked from the radio.

"This is the team I was telling you about, Korra! The new amateurs who haven't lost a single match yet! Everyone's talking about them!" Asami cheered.

Korra laughed. "You really love pro-bending."

Asami playfully punched her shoulder and then turned her attention back to the radio.

"And the match begins with a blast as it always seems to with the Stallions! These are some talented kids, folks!"

Asami smiled wider. Korra smiled too, enjoying seeing her wife so happy.

"OH! The Stallions have lost their firebender! But I've seen these two girls in action and have a feeling they will be able to hang on!"

"After two rounds folks, it's one to one! Will we see a victor in this round?"

"And the Southern Stallions have pulled off another hat trick knockout! Their third this season! Outstanding! Their earthbender is one of the best we've seen in a long time!"

Asami cheered happily, but suddenly Korra sat up. "Korra, sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Where are the kids?"

Asami sat up with her. "What are you getting at? They're probably in bed."

Korra walked towards their rooms. She peeked into Nami's room and saw that she was missing. She growled and barged into Kohaku's room, but he was missing as well. She practically tore down Riko's door and saw that she was gone too.

"They're all gone!" Korra stated matter-of-factly. She stared at Asami.

"You don't think… Nooo! There's no way!" Asami said, waving her hand in a Bolin-like manner.

"The 'Southern Stallions' are our kids, Asami!"

"Look! She left a note, okay?!"

'If you find this, don't worry, we weren't kidnapped. We'll be home shortly.'

Asami blinked. "What the hell does that mean?"

"I told you."  
"This doesn't mean anything, Korra!"

Suddenly they heard laughing kids approach the side of the house. The couple quickly shut off the lights and waited outside of her door.

"That was amazing, Riko!"

"Yeah that was so cool!"

They complimented her as they opened her room door. And then they gasped in surprise. Riko looked over and saw both of her moms standing in the doorway. "Shit."

"Where have you been?" Korra demanded. For once it seemed that Korra was suspicious of her.

"Um, we went out for dinner." Riko started, but then realized that they hadn't brought any back. "T-Then we went to watch the pro-bending match tonight." She finished.

"Why didn't you just tell us?! We don't care if you go to watch a match. You didn't have to leave a damn note." Korra said. Asami grabbed her arm.

"Korra, calm down. It's no big deal."

Korra huffed and began walking away, but then she spoke up before slamming the door shut. "Oh, and you're all grounded for a week."

The siblings gulped and looked at their big sister. She sighed and sat down sadly on her bed. They came up and hugged her.

"Korra, do you really think they're pro-bending?!" Asami asked once they were back in their room.

Korra huffed, pacing the room. "I don't know. But the next match is in a few days and they're grounded. We'll know for sure if they disappear again that night."

"So what if they're on a pro-bending team?"

"Asami, Riko could get injured again seeing as she's still recovering. And Kohaku and Nami are too young!"

"There's not an age limit on pro-bending. And they're very skilled benders…" Suddenly it dawned on her. "The firebender and waterbender on that team are apparently quite young. And their earthbender is the best out of all of them…"

Korra watched as it dawned on her. "Thank you! You're seeing it now!"

"And they have been training a lot lately… You may be right, Korra, as much as I hate to admit it."

Korra wiggled her eyebrows and sauntered over to her wife. "I am smart sometimes." She said, grabbing onto her waist.

Asami smirked. "Sometimes, yes." She wrapped her arms around her neck. Korra pouted and nuzzled into her neck. "Korra, come on, you're very smart."

"No, Korra no smart. Korra strong. Korra hunt. Korra make wife happy." Korra said in a primitive manly voice. Asami laughed at her mockery, but then Korra lifted her up.

"Yes, Korra strong. Do Korra want sex or not?" Asami asked, mocking her voice.

Korra smirked, going back to her normal voice. "Yes."

* * *

"Momma, Ma…" The couple looked up from Asami's desk. The CEO had been working on papers when Korra came in, leaning on her desk, trying to get her to leave her paperwork. Now Riko was standing in the door, with something on her mind obviously.

The girl was refusing to look at them. She held her arms behind her back. "I…I'm sorry about sneaking out the other night… We all are."

Korra felt guilty all of a sudden and hugged her close. "It's okay. Maybe I was too hard on you about grounding you."

Riko nodded into her shoulder. "We wanna make it up to you, to both of you." She said, looking over to Asami.

"But, ugh, I have so much work to do! I can't just-"

"C'mon Asami, you need a break. And if the kids want to take us out then we should oblige." Korra said, pulling Asami out of the chair.

She pouted before sighing. "Fine. What do you have in mind?"

Riko smiled earnestly. "We wanna take you to the pro-bending match tonight. And then we'll go get noodles! How's that sound?"

Asami smiled. "Sounds great. We have to get ready then!" Korra smiled as well and they walked back to their room.

* * *

"They didn't suspect a thing?" Kohaku asked Riko once she got back to her room.

She smirked. "Nope. Not a thing. We're in the clear."

* * *

Riko smiled giddily as they sat down on the arena seats. Asami was, too. It was the first match she had been able to see in a while. Korra wrapped an arm around her shoulder as the first match started. The kids jumped up in joy as the two teams pummeled each other.

"See? This is nice, isn't it?" Korra whispered into her wife's ear.

She shivered and nodded. "I am enjoying myself." She smirked and leaned into Korra. Korra smirked and leaned in, kissing her gently.

"Ma, momma." Riko interrupted. She covered her mouth to hide her giggles. "We're gonna go get some snacks before the next match begins."

Korra chuckled and nodded, barely taking her lips off of Asami's. The kids smiled and ran off.

"Oh shit, I can't believe we're pulling this off!" Riko exclaimed once they reached the locker room. "This is gonna be awesome!" Butterflies erupted in her stomach. She was never nervous before a match, but for some reason, knowing that her parents would be watching made her nervous. She chuckled and ruffled both of her siblings' hair. "Don't think about them watching us. Act like it's just the regular audience like usual. We're gonna win, I just know it."

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, our main attraction for tonight, the Southern Stallions versus the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps!"

Riko smiled, hitting her fist in her other hand. "It's show time!"

They stepped out onto the arena, waving at the crowd, though purposely avoiding looking at Korra and Asami. Korra noted this and laughed. "Still don't think they're our kids? They're avoiding looking at us."

Asami brushed her off, too intrigued in watching the match.

The teams walked up to each other. Riko looked up at their leader, a firebender, and held her hand out. He smirked and shook her hand.

"You're going down."

"No, I think it's about time your run came to an end."

The referee blew the whistle and the match started with bang, as always. Asami watched as Riko shot earth disks at the opposing firebender. The teams seemed very well-matched.

The Stallions' firebender shot fireballs one after the other at the opposing earthbender. The man dodged and blocked them with the earth disks. The Stallions' waterbender shot a handful of water blasts at the other waterbender. They traded water for a few minutes.

Their earthbender jumped up, dodging a fire blast, and shot a powerful shot of earth at the man's abdomen. The man staggered back to the second ring.

Riko smirked, landing in a crouch. She pulled more earth disks forward, knocking him back further to the last ring. She saw Kohaku push back the earthbender to the second ring, and then the ref blew the whistle, signaling that they won the first round.

Asami cheered as the Buzzard Wasps' firebender and earthbender were pushed back. Korra had to hold onto her so she wouldn't jump around too much.

The firebender sneered at Riko as they started the next round. Suddenly, Riko saw fire headed straight for her and froze up. 'No!' But then it hit her before she could move again. She landed on the ground roughly. "Riko!"

The crowd started booing and the ref blew the whistle before things got out of hand. "Penalty! Foul! Illegal shot to the head! Buzzard Wasp's firebender back to the last ring!"

The man groaned, but did as commanded. The crowd still booed him. The Stallion's seemed to have gained a lot of fans; Asami was one of them.

Riko felt her brother and sister helping her up. She stumbled a bit before getting her bearings straight.

"Still don't think it's them?" Korra asked.

"What do you mean?" Asami replied, turning her head to look at her wife.

"What I mean is that the Stallions' earthbender just froze up for a second. Didn't you see it?" Korra said.

Asami shook her head. "No, I didn't see it, but anyone could have a fear of fire, hun."

"How many teenage earthbenders do you know that are afraid of fire?" Korra asked teasingly.

"Just Riko…"

"Exactly."

"It seems the Stallion's earthbender is back on her feet. Let's get this round started, folks!" The announcer beamed.

Riko growled and shot a stream of earth disks at the firebender. She was pissed. How dare he make her freeze up like that!

The man staggered back and balanced himself on the end of the arena, but another earth disk hit him, sending him plummeting into the water. The crowd cheered and Riko smirked.

The trio was working on the last two when suddenly a burst of water slammed Kohaku, sending him into the water below. "Oh boy, it looks like it's up to the earth-water duo yet again!" The announcer yelled.

Riko smirked ominously, licking her lips. She felt the animal in her coming out again. She closed her eyes and breathed. 'No, don't go wild again. We won't win like that.'

Through her feet she felt the earthbender shoot for her. She slid away, eyes still closed. She opened them and shot a disk right for the man's stomach, sending him back a level. She saw her sister struggling against the waterbender. She shot a disk at him as he shot water at Nami. The man was pushed back a level too late as he sent Nami over the edge as well.

Riko growled. 'No, control yourself! I have to stay calm if I want us to go to the next round.'

"Oh no! I don't believe it! Both the firebender and the waterbender of the Stallions were sent overboard! Leaving their leader the earthbender to defend herself against the Buzzard Wasp's earthbender and waterbender! What a turn of events!"

Riko breathed in and out, controlling her breathing to calm herself. She eyed her opponents, waiting for their move. If she could dodge all of their moves for another minute then they could still make a comeback.

Korra leaned up as she watched the earthbender twirl and spin, avoiding all of their attacks, much like an airbender. Her eyes widened.

"It looks like she's pulling all of the moves from the old Fire Ferret's book! Folks, this earthbender has obviously trained very hard!"

"That is definitely Riko!" Korra said.

Asami looked at her. "How do you know?"

"She's trained with the airbending kids. I've seen it, and she's definitely pulling some airbending moves right now, something I did in pro-bending! I can also tell she's stolen some moves from Mako, too." Korra responded.

Riko spun, dodging a shot of water, and then the ref blew the whistle. The crowd cheered, thankful that she could pull it off. She smiled as her siblings ran to her.

"Riko, that was amazing!" "How'd you do that?!"

"Heh, sometimes training with Jinora can be helpful. Now let's go win this thing!" Riko said with a smile.

They squared off with the Buzzard Wasps again, hopefully for the last time. She noticed that they were starting to team up against her as she had to block both fire and water at the same time. She smirked, always up for a challenge. She shot one of the earth disks towards the firebender, but he dodged. She jumped over her barricade, shooting multiple disks at both men. Suddenly she felt earth dig into her side and she fell to the ground with a thud. Only then did she remember the earthbender on their team and regretted forgetting about him. She leaned up on one arm, the other holding her side. She grunted in pain and coughed.

The ref was about to stop the match to tend to her, but then Kohaku stepped in front of her, blocking the oncoming attacks aimed at her that she hadn't even noticed. She grimaced as she sat up and sent a shot at the firebender. "We have to get rid of the firebender before we're sent over!" She called at her brother. He nodded and aimed fire at both the firebender and the earthbender. Riko helped by sending some disks in the men's direction, hoping to distract them. Meanwhile, Nami was fighting against the waterbender again.

Riko shakily stood up, holding onto the railing and shot a couple disks at the firebender. Kohaku helped her and together they sent him flying off of the arena again. They smiled, but then Kohaku was sent to the last ring by the waterbender and then pushed over with one last shot of water.

"Damnit, we can't lose now!" 'If you're gonna lose anyway, why not cut loose?'

She growled, deciding to give in to temptation. They had gotten rid of the firebender, so even if she got sent over, Nami could take on the last two, right? At least that was her reasoning.

She growled, gripping the railing until her knuckles turned white, and her canines showed. She quickly shot a handful of disks of her opponents, knocking them back a level. Nami bounced around the first ring while she was still holding onto the railing in the second ring. She let go, regaining some strength to shoot some more disks at the men. She jumped to dodge some water, grimacing in the process however.

"It looks like the Stallion's captain is in a lot of pain! That hit to the ribs surely did some damage!" The announcer rambled on.

Korra shot up, gripping Asami's hand tightly. Asami needed no more convincing. It was clear that it was Riko in the arena.

Riko took another hit to the stomach from the waterbender, pushing her back to the last ring. She doubled over in pain. Their opponents knew of her weakness and were using it to their advantage. Nami tried to block their attacks from hitting her sister but she couldn't stop all of them. She was barely starting to sit up when she heard something whizzing towards her. Blood spilt from her mouth as another earth disk lodged into her side, firing her off of the arena.

Riko tried swimming back up, but her body was in too much pain. She coughed and sucked in water.

"She isn't coming up. I think she's drowning!" The announcer said worriedly.

The crowd watched as Riko sank to the bottom. Korra nearly jumped in after her, but Kohaku dove in first once she failed to surface.

Riko saw the blue water all around her, along with the red of her blood. Then a gust of bubbles appeared in the distance as someone jumped in after her. It dawned on her that she was drowning. 'Wow, what an ironic way to die.' She thought.

Suddenly she was pulled up to the surface and thrown onto the floor. Her brother pulled off her helmet and waited to see if she was breathing.

"Damn it, don't you dare die on me now!" He yelled before placing his mouth on hers and squeezing her nose shut. He passed onto her his air and then proceeded to press down on her chest. He repeated this a few times until she suddenly coughed. Water erupted from her lungs and air replaced it. She sucked in the air and grasped her throat.

The elevator floor started moving and Kohaku dragged her into the room. He looked back to his sister in the arena still. His eyes widened as she gracefully dodged their attacks and fired back.

Nami angrily shot water at both men, pushing them against the final edge. She sent one man flying over as she rocketed a string of water at them. The last man held his arms up in surrender, knowing that they had done some serious damage to her sister, and she shot a blast of water him, throwing him off the stage.

The crowd cheered, excited that Nami won and happy that Riko had resurfaced.

Nami reluctantly reached for her helmet and took it off. The crowd gasped.

"Isn't that one of Avatar Korra's children?! Then does t-that mean…" The announcer started, looking to the boxed off room holding the other two children. He saw Kohaku standing at the railing with Riko leaning into him. They waved to the crowd. "Oh Spirits! All along, the Southern Stallions have been the Avatar's children! What a shocker! Incredible!" He exclaimed. The crowd roared in excitement. Nami walked back to her siblings.

Suddenly the door to the arena room busted opened and in stomped a very angry Korra with a worried Asami behind her. "Korra, stop, I'm fine I swear!" Riko attempted to calm her mother, but did no such thing. She prepared herself to be chewed out by her and maybe even smacked. However, she was shocked when her mother hugged her tight, shaking slightly. "You almost drowned, you idiot."

Riko went wide-eyed and hesitantly put an arm around her mother. "I'm okay, mom. I- *cough cough*" Suddenly she was having a coughing fit and couldn't stop. She put her hand up to cover her mouth. When she pulled it away, she saw red. She realized she was coughing up blood and it wasn't stopping. Her vision grew blurry and she fell to her knees.

Korra caught her and laid her on the floor. She pulled her top off, seeing several bruises covering her body. She bent water from the arena and started healing her stomach. Her family stood around her, worried about her health. Asami bent down and clutched her daughter's hand tightly.

"I guess you guys *cough* figured out our secret, huh? *cough*" Riko asked weakly.

"Stop talking, you idiot. We're figured it out a while ago." Asami replied.

Riko chuckled which turned into a cough.

Korra focused her healing for a while. She sighed at the sight of her sleeping. "I think she's fine now, just needs plenty of rest."

Korra then gently carried her wrapped in a blanket to Asami's car. The crowd that had appeared parted the halls to let them through after seeing the Stallion's captain down for the count. They stared wide-eyed at the sight of blood covering her chin. Korra noticed and sighed. "Thank you for coming tonight and supporting my children. Riko will be alright, so don't fret. She needs rest, though."

The fans bowed their heads and left them.

"I'm surprised they're so calm this evening. Usually they're banging on the door to see us." Kohaku said.

Korra chuckled. "You guys are quite the celebrities, aren't ya? They're just worried about her."

Korra laid Riko in her bed and tucked the covers over her. She placed a cold rag over her forehead to calm her fever. Then she walked back downstairs to her family.

"Momma's ordering takeout!" Nami called.

Korra chuckled. "That's good because I'm starving! I'm sure you guys are too after that match." She ruffled both children's hair as she watched Asami call some fast-food place. She walked over and placed her hands on her hips as she hung up the phone.

Asami yelped as her wife wrapped herself around her. "Korra!"

"That's me."

Asami chuckled and gave her a peck on the lips. The children covered their eyes and ewwed.

* * *

Riko awoke the next morning feeling a flat rag on her forehead. She groaned and tried rolling out of bed, but ended up landing hard on the floor. She hissed and grabbed her side. Light flooded her room from the door and a shadow approached her.

"Riko, what are you doing?! You need to stay in bed!" Asami said, lifting her daughter back into the bed.

"No, *cough* I need to go train for our next match."

"You're not gonna have a next match if you don't rest and recover first!" Asami glared at her, making sure she'd stay put in bed. "I'm gonna go get you some lunch. Don't move."

Riko groaned, both in pain and annoyance, as her mother walked away. She started nodding off when she heard footsteps approaching her door. A hand petted her hair and sat down next to her. She didn't quite recognize the callous hands. She squinted her eyes open and smirked.

"Come to chew me out?" She asked.

"I came to check on you, squirt." The Chief of Police replied. She had a plate of food in her hands. "Asami wanted me to bring you lunch on my way up to see you."

"I'm not hungry."

Her face turned to a soft expression and she continued to run her fingers through the girl's hair, setting the plate aside. The teenager mewed and slid closer, resting her head on Lin's lap.

"I remember when you first arrived to Republic City. I told your mothers that they better not let you get into trouble. Heh, look at you now. You're an absolute mess."

"Hey, that's not all my fault!"

"I know, but you've been through a lot in the past year. Even as a kid, you were always running around, getting into things, trying to prove yourself."

"I got one concussion, Lin. I hardly ever got into trouble after I moved here."

"Are you implying that you got into trouble before that?" Lin smirked.

Riko pouted. "No, I just… I was on my own. I had to do things I didn't want to do. And I got hurt a lot since I lived in the wild."

"You did get stuck in a bear trap after you met Korra and Asami."

"Exactly. Except that was probably the worst injury I'd ever gotten in the forest and I probably would've died if it wasn't for Korra."

"What other things did you have to do to survive?" Lin asked, concerned.

Riko shifted so that she wasn't looking at the older woman anymore. "I had to steal sometimes, as much as I hated it. I had to beg for food. I learned to live with the wild animals and picked up a few bad habits from them."

"Like what?" Lin asked.

Riko chuckled. "I walked on all fours like an animal, Lin, for years. Asami broke me out of it just in time for their wedding. I have a temper like a wild boar, even though I usually manage to keep it in check. The list goes on. I crapped in the woods."

"Okay I've heard enough!"

Riko laughed, thankful for leaving the subject at that.

"So how'd you end up in confinement again?" Lin asked, poking her forehead.

Riko sighed. "I sort of convinced my siblings to form our own pro-bending team. We've won all of our matches, but last night I got hit a couple of times in the stomach and almost drowned."

"So the mysterious newbie team was finally revealed were they?" Lin chuckled. "I heard about your team on the radio a couple of times. And after last night, it's all over the news stations."

"We were pretty popular before they knew our identities, but now…I can't even imagine how many fans we've gained or maybe lost."

"I think you've only gained fans."

"Whatever." Riko chuckled. She nuzzled closer into Lin and wrapped her arms around her waist. Lin smiled gently, petting her head.

"Thanks for coming by, Lin. I really enjoy our moments like this. You're like the best aunt I could ask for." Riko said honestly.

"You're not just saying that because I'm your earthbending teacher are you?" Lin said, raising an eyebrow.

Riko chuckled. "No, of course not."


	17. Chapter 13

Riko managed to crawl out of bed to get about three days of training in before their next match. They were to play the Wolfbats. She knew they had very little, if any, chance of winning, especially since she was injured, but she refused to let her brother and sister know that and pushed them harder in their training.

They were getting ready for their match when Korra and Asami walked in.

"What're you doing here?" Riko asked, surprised.

"Shut up and sit." Korra demanded. Riko wasted no time and immediately took a seat on the bench. She gulped. She sat in only her pants and chest bindings. The siblings were used to changing around one another so it was really no big deal. Korra sauntered over and squatted in front of her.

"You're gonna need some extra protection if you still plan on fighting."

"What the hell are you talk-" Riko then saw the extra padding they had brought in with them.

"Arms up." Korra was sure being demanding tonight. Riko listened regardless. Korra was just concerned about her health. She wrapped the padding around her stomach and tied it together.

"I'll help you get your uniform on. It might be a little snug." Korra said.

Riko's arms were still up as her mother tugged on her jersey on overtop. She winced at the tightness squeezing her lungs together.

Korra tied her ribbon around her waist and handed over her gloves. Riko pouted at her. "Stop giving me that face. The tightness on the padding will help protect your sides. Don't complain. Just go out there and win this!"

Riko smiled and walked over to her awaiting siblings. They waved at their moms before walking out into the arena.

"Should we really have let them go through with this?" Asami asked, hugging her wife from behind.

"They'll be okay. And I have a feeling after tonight they'll quit pro-bending soon. They have little chance of beating the Wolfbats, as much as I want to believe in them."

"We have a big match tonight, folks! Tonight's match hosts the Southern Stallions," The audience cheered for them as they walked into the arena. "Versus the White Falls Wolfbats!"

"Your reign ends tonight." Tahno spoke down to Riko. Even though he gained some dignity after losing his bending temporarily, he still was a cocky jerk.

"Heh, I think it's your reign that's ending." Riko replied, glaring up at him.

Their teammates pulled both of their captains back and they got into position to start the match. Riko continued to glare at the man as he smirked at her. He shot a string of water at her, which she dodged. She responded with earth disks, which he dodged as well by jumping away. She saw his earthbender out of the corner of her eye and blocked a disk from him. In the meantime, Nami blocked a fire blast headed in Riko's direction. She thanked her sister and glared at the opposing team. It was clear they knew of her injury and were trying to gang up on her.

The children spent most of the first round blocking attacks and ended up losing the first round after all three of them were knocked back a level.

Nami got sent into the water soon after the next round began. Riko growled and licked her lips. 'No, not now!' She mentally blocked off her inner animal and continued fighting. She got hit by a blast of fire which pushed her back a level. They were at a clear disadvantage. These guys were much stronger and more experienced than them. She growled again, showing her pearly whites. Her eyes grew wild as she sent a handful of disks at her opponents. She managed to knock the earthbender off of the stage.

She looked up in the stands and went wide-eyed. Lin was leaning against the railing, watching her closely. She closed her eyes, attempting to control her temper, remembering that she was being watched by her family. She opened her eyes, calm again, and dodged a shot of water.

Lin saw the fierceness in the teenager's eyes and gasped. She was surprised the girl wasn't on the ground on all fours like she remembered during her childhood and their training sessions. That was the same glint in her eyes, though. Perhaps this is what she was talking about of her bottled up temper. She winced when the girl took a hit to the sides, but she didn't seem as bothered by it now.

Riko smirked as she took the hit to her ribs quite nicely, surprising Tahno. She responded by hurling disks back at him. He blocked them and continued with the offensive.

Suddenly, Kohaku was sent flying into her, throwing both of them off of the side. The crowd gasped and Tahno started celebrating.

However, Riko was gripping onto the stage, holding her and her brother up. She grit her teeth in pain and tried pulling him up and whimpered in pain.

"Riko, just let go!"

"No…" She growled. "We're not losing now! You better shine through!" She then rocketed her brother back onto the stage while she fell to the water below. Nami cushioned her fall and waterbent her over to the elevator. Riko thanked her and looked to the stage.

"Riko, are you okay?!" Korra asked, lifting her arms to access any damage.

Riko laughed. "Mom, I'm fine. Sore, but no threatening injuries."

Tahno gasped as his firebender was sent soaring off of the arena by a fire blast. He turned back around and saw the little firebender boy bouncing on his feet in the last ring. He heard their earthbender splash into the water and growled.

"Another move from the Fire Ferret's book! Riko saved her brother, but I'm sure she's in a lot of pain after that! Can Kohaku pull through to keep them in the game?!" The announcer yelled.

Apparently the answer to that is no.

Kohaku dodged a few of his water missiles at first and responding by throwing some fireballs at him, but the boy let his guard down and Tahno sent him plummeting into the water with a perfect shot.

"Oh! A knockout! And the Stallion's first loss! I can't blame them though. The Wolfbats are the toughest team around!"

"Damnit! Ow! Stop poking me!" Riko roared, looking away from the arena to her mother. Korra was still trying to determine if she had any serious injuries, poking and prodding her ribs. Her stomach was littered with bruises and cuts. She used some water to heal it up.

Kohaku sulked over to them, drenched in water. Riko wanted to be mad, but knew that it wasn't Kohaku's fault. Again in her pants and chest bindings, she pulled her little brother close to hug him. She felt a few tears escape and hit her chest.

"Hey, it's okay. It's no big deal, alright? We did our best. Tahno's team is just really strong."

The boy nodded and hugged her tighter. Korra poked her side again. "Mom, you're ruining the moment."

"Sorry!"

* * *

They continued to play a few more matches before the annual tournament started and decided to back out from pro-bending for a while. Riko's healing was pretty much put on hold after they started pro-bending and she really wanted to feel normal again. It's almost been a year since the attack and she was still recuperating because of her decisions.

She spent much of her time sleeping anymore; more concerned with healing, less concerned with training. One day, Korra wandered in and sat down next to her. She sat a plate of food on the nightstand and shook her daughter awake.

"Ngh, whaaaat…"

"I brought breakfast."

Riko sat up sleepily and ate her pancakes. She looked at Korra through half-lidded eyes, still stirring from her slumber. Korra sighed and got into bed with her. The girl cuddled up to her and started going back to sleep.

"We're making a trip to the South Pole." Korra stated out of nowhere. Riko looked up at her. "You need a real healer, like Katara or Kya. But Katara's too old to travel and Kya is staying there to take care of her. So it looks like we're going to them for a change." Korra looked down to make sure her daughter was still listening. She was, eyes gleaming with excitement. "I already talked to dad and Asami is making arrangements for her to take off work. We'll probably leave by next week."

Riko smiled and hugged her, making the woman chuckle. Her mother was so warm, luring her to drift back to sleep.

* * *

Riko gripped onto her mother as Naga raced through the streets. Asami was in the car behind them, hauling her siblings and their luggage around. Riko laughed. Korra always made things a competition between her and her wife. Naga slid on the boardwalk and turned to the car. Asami cursed and Korra laughed. She hopped off of Naga and leaned into the driver's seat, stealing a kiss from Asami.

Riko felt someone approaching and looked back behind Naga. "Lin?!"

The couple looked up. Now Korra was cursing, thinking that Lin was going to chew them out for racing to the docks.

Riko leapt in the Chief's arms. Lin chuckled lowly and hugged her.

"If I didn't know any better, Lin, I'd say you're getting soft." Said Korra.

Lin glared at her. "And if I didn't know any better I'd say that you two were racing."

Korra laughed nervously, scratching her neck. "No! No, there was no such thing! How could you even think that?!"

"No matter, you're here now." Lin said.

"What are you doing here, Chief?" Riko asked.

"Yeah, what are you doing here? You're obviously not here to arrest us." Korra stated.

"Obviously I'm going with you to the South Pole. What else would I be doing here?"

"You're coming with us?" Riko jumped up excitedly.

"What?! No you're not!" Korra yelled.

"Yay! Aunt Lin is coming to the South with us!" Nami cried.

"Lin is not coming with us, right?" Kohaku asked solemnly.

"No she's not! And since when did you start calling her Aunt Lin?!" Asami yelled from the front seat and looked into the backseat.

"Yes, Lin is definitely coming with us!" Riko yelled.

Everyone kept talking at once, debating whether or not Lin was coming with them.

Korra slapped her head. "Enough!"

Everyone went dead silent, though Lin hadn't even said a word during the whole commotion.

"Lin, you are not coming with us." Korra stated.

Lin crossed her arms. "Just what are you going to do about it, Avatar?"

Korra glared at her but then looked away. "Er…"

"Exactly. You can't stop me, so I'm coming too."

"Whyyyyy?" Korra groaned.

"To see Katara of course! And spend some time with you and your family!"

Riko jumped happily while they rest of the gang sulked.

"Do you want Tenzin to come along?" Lin egged on.

Korra jumped up and shoved everyone onto the ship. "Nope! We're getting out of here before he decides to come along too!"

* * *

Lin leaned against the railing as they approach the snowy docks. After a long week of sailing, they were finally at the South Pole. She heard someone coming up from behind her, but continued staring at the ocean.

"Who's taking care of the city back home?"

"Oh so now you're suddenly concerned about me coming along, huh squirt?"

Riko waved her arms. "No no, it's not like that! I just… You take care of the city all of the time. Who's gonna take care of it now that you're gone?"

Lin sighed. "Kid, I won't always be there to take care of Republic City. They need to learn to continue without me at some point…"

"You talk as if you're about to die at any moment." Riko replied.

"Well I'll have to retire at some point. Mako is my successor, so I left him in charge for the time being."

"Pfft, you left Mako in charge?"

Lin smiled slightly and grabbed Riko in a headlock, ruffling her hair. "Hey, c'mon Lin!"

"And you're suddenly so worried about the city because…?"

Riko pouted. "I don't know. I just know that they've always needed you."

"Don't worry about it, okay? Tenzin will be there if anything important happens."

"Oh that makes it so much better." Riko grumbled.

Lin pulled harder. "What was that?"

"Nothing! Nothing! Republic City will be fine! Haha!"

"That's what I thought." Lin said, releasing the girl from her hold.

Her family ran outside as they got closer to the port. Nami and Korra appeared like normal Water Tribe citizens, wearing the typical water tribe getup. Asami and Kohaku looked like Fire Nation royals, sporting dark cloaks and red jackets. However, Riko stood out just a bit. Seeing as she didn't care as much about appearance, she always borrowed some of Korra's clothes whenever visiting the South. So she was wearing one of Korra's old winter coats. She wore grey sweatpants and fur boots to finish. Her green eyes really topped it off.

'I never fit it, but where's the fun in that?'

The snow crunched as they trekked through on their way to Korra's parents. Korra was hauling their luggage on a sled. The children saw their grandpa carrying some wood into their hut and ran after him, leaving the others behind.

"Grandpa!"

The man heard simultaneous screams and looked back just in time for his grandchildren to jump him. They laughed as they fell to the snow.

"Haha, children! I wasn't expecting you so soon!" He yelled, looking up at his daughter. She mouthed sorry to him and helped pick her kids up.

Senna heard all of the commotion and ran outside. "Ah, Korra! You're here!" They ran into each other's arms and hugged. "We've missed you, sweetie! And the family!"

"Grandma!"

"Oh no you don't!" Korra said, stopping her kids from tackling Senna. "Stop tackling everyone when you see them! You started this!" She said to Riko. The girl smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop tackling people, sheesh." The girl laughed and hugged Senna, pulling her away from Korra.

"Riko, it's so good to see you. Are you feeling better?" Senna inquired.

Riko chuckled nervously and scratched her neck; clearly a bad habit she acquired from Korra. "W-Well, Senna that's partially why we're here. I… I need a healer."

Senna's smile faltered. "What? W-Why?!"

"Dad didn't tell you?" Korra asked.

"Tell me what?!" Senna demanded. She looked for her husband, but the man had already snuck inside. Korra nudged Riko's shoulder, telling her to explain.

"Umm, I guess I've made some bad choices lately. I started a pro-bending team with Kohaku and Nami and it really hindered my recovery."

Senna sighed, placing a hand to her forehead. "Spirits, you're just like Korra and you're not even blood-related."

Riko smirked. "I get that a lot."

"Well, make yourselves at home. There's plenty of space for everyone!" Senna yelled as the kids took off, fighting for rooms. They had added a second floor on to their old one floor house to accommodate Korra and her large family, but the kids still always fought over who got which room.

"Don't worry about them, mom. They always seem to take care of themselves." Korra said.

"I know. *sigh* It's already evening and I'm sure you're all tired from the trip. I'll make dinner soon! And maybe tomorrow you can take Riko to see Katara." Senna said.

Korra smiled at her. "I'll help with dinner. Asami will take care of the kids. And there's really no rush to get Riko help. It's just that the healers in Republic City are nothing compared to Katara and Kya. They couldn't help Riko much after the initial incident."

Senna nodded and Korra helped her begin dinner.

"I didn't know Lin was coming with you." Senna said.

Korra groaned. "Yeah well neither did we. She pretty much jumped onto the boat with us at the last second."

"Not that I mind, I actually enjoy her company, but why did she come with you? I mean if she really wanted to, she could've come anytime she wanted to."

"I don't know, mom. Something about seeing Katara and spending time with my kids."

Senna smiled. "She's a good godmother."

"What?! I didn't appoint her to be their godmother." Korra responded.

"No, but she doesn't need your approval. She's woven her way into those children's lives in a positive way, Korra. I know she cares for them as such."

Lin sat on her bed, downtrodden as the misfits ran around her like wild animals. Nami hung from her shoulders. Riko and Kohaku fumbled around the room trying to wrestle one another.

Lin sighed heavily.

"Ouch! Damnit, Kohaku!"

Lin looked down and saw the oldest clutching her side.

"I'm sorry, Riko! I didn't mean it!"

Lin gently pried the little girl from her shoulders. She scooped up the teenager on the floor and ventured downstairs. The other two followed.

Senna and Korra looked back as Lin coughed. "You're kids are quite the handful, Avatar. What do you feed them?"

Kohaku poked his older sister and the girl wriggled out of her teacher's arms. Lin stepped back as the girl stumbled up and chased her brother outside. She stuffed his face in the snow. "I'm gonna kill you, you runt!"

"I said I was sorry!" He said, coughing into the snow.

The family could hear them from inside. Lin facepalmed. "They could use some manners as well. Didn't Asami teach them anything?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Asami asked, entering the kitchen.

Lin shrugged her shoulders. "Oh nothing. It's just that I know Korra here would only teach them how to be disorderly."

Korra huffed outside to separate the two while Senna laughed at the whole ordeal.

* * *

Riko shivered during their trek to Katara's hut. She pulled her arms together in an attempt to keep warm. Korra saw this and pulled her close.

"Sometimes I forget that you're not used to the cold still." She said.

Riko chuckled and huddled closer to her. She was so warm. "Heh, yeah well I did grow up in the Fire Nation. The complete and utter opposite of this."

They heard coughing as they approached the hut. Korra's smiled faded and she pulled her daughter inside. Kya was rubbing Katara's back, but the old woman pushed her away once she saw her guests.

"If now's a bad time we can come back later, Master Katara." Korra said.

"Nonsense! Riko needs healing, my dear!" Katara said. She smiled and motioned the young girl over.

She smiled back and quickly hugged her. "It's nice to see you Master Katara."

"Come along, lass, we have much to do."

Riko pulled off her top and sat down on the rug provided by Katara. The old woman used her waterbending to get a feel of the seriousness of her injuries. "Hmmm, yes, you're very hurt indeed. I can tell you've been like this for a while, huh?"

Riko nodded.

"Hmm, this may take some time. Korra, do you mind if she stays here for a few days?"

"No, not at all! Anything to help her!" Korra exclaimed.

"Thank you. Now Riko I need you to follow me."

Riko stood up and followed Katara to a back room with a little pool. The water sparkled and gleamed heavenly. "This is sacred healing water. I need you to lay down in it and we will begin."

Riko hesitantly stepped into the water and shivered at the coldness. The water was already luring her to sleep as she laid down. She saw a bright light and realized Katara was starting to heal her. She winced as the combination of freezing water and bones mending hit her all at once. However after just a few minutes she was out like a light.

"Is she okay?" Korra asked.

Katara chuckled lightly. "Oh, she's fine, my dear. The effects have already started taking place. In just a couple of days, she'll be good as new. You should go home. I have Kya here to help out in case anything happens."

* * *

Riko felt herself being pulled out of the water after who knows how long and wrapped in a blanket. She was laid on a feathery bed and more blankets were piled onto her. She smiled lightly and pulled the blankets closer to her.

Along with the soft coos being whispered in her ear, someone was coughing in the other room. She couldn't ponder over it though as she passed out from the warmth of the blankets.

Korra pushed back the sheets to Katara's hut and walked in. "Master Katara, I'm here for Riko." She heard coughing and ran to the old woman. Kya was huddled over her mother as she continued coughing and rubbed her back.

"Can't you do something?!" Korra asked Kya. The woman shook her head. That simple motion told Korra everything she needed to know. She held her breath and stared at the coughing lady.

Suddenly she cleared her throat. "K-Korra! I'm glad you're here!" She spoke in a raspy voice. "We've healed Riko's injuries. She's in bed now."

Korra stood up to search for her daughter. She found her snuggled under a heap of blankets on the bed. There was an aura of peace around her. Korra sighed and shook her shoulders. "Riko, c'mon, let's get you home to rest."

"Ngh, hi mom." Then she heard the coughing again. "Is Master Katara okay?"

Korra shook her head, refusing to answer her. "Let's go home."

Riko stumbled up and held on her mother as they walked out. Katara was standing at the doorway, rubbing her throat. "How do you feel, Riko?"

Riko smiled at the old woman. "Much better thanks to you Master Katara."

"Oh, don't thank me! Besides Kya was here too."

Riko gently hugged her. Katara sighed and hugged her back.

Korra picked up her daughter and carried her home as they walked back through the snow.

* * *

The family was eating dinner when they heard something stumble down the stairs. Korra ran over and saw her clumsy daughter slumped at the bottom.

"Owww…"

"Sigh, come here, badgermole." Korra helped her up and led her to the table.

"So you finally decided to wake up?!" Tonraq asked.

"Hehe, yeah I guess I smelled Senna's amazing cooking. Was I out long?" Riko asked.

"Were you? You've been sleeping for the past week, sis!" Kohaku yelled.

"What?!" Riko yelled, standing up and facing her brother. "How could I have been out for a week?!"

"Riko, sit down!" Korra demanded. She pushed the girl back down. "You were probably just exhausted from the healing process taking place. So relax."

"Since you're feeling better, wanna go penguin-sledding tomorrow?" Nami asked.

Riko smiled. "Hell yeah!"

The siblings spent the next two weeks penguin-sledding, fishing, hunting, exploring, having snowball fights, and wrestling in the snow.

Riko pushed her brother through the door as they arrived back home one day. They continued roughhousing until they saw everyone in the kitchen looking depressed. Riko froze. "W-What's going on?" She realized that Korra and Asami were missing and heard a commotion upstairs. Something shattered as it was thrown against the wall.

Riko would have fallen to the ground if it weren't for her dear grandma. Senna hugged her close. "Master Katara has passed away."


	18. Chapter 14

Tenzin and his family made the quickest flight to the South Pole ever. Now he stood in the front row at his mother's funeral. Pema hugged her kids as they cried. Tenzin quietly cried, while his brother Bumi wept intensely and Kya was hugging him, crying as well.

Many people had showed up, practically the whole village.

Amidst them, Asami held onto a weeping Korra while the proceedings took place. Tonraq too was holding onto Senna next to them. Lin stood off to the side a little, trying to hide her tears. The siblings stood next to their mothers, crying silently. Though Kohaku and Nami hadn't gotten to know Katara that great, Riko had. And she was taking it hard, seeing as she was the last person the old hag got to heal.

She looked around. Almost everyone else had someone to hold onto during their grief. No one was really paying attention to what was happening around them.

Riko whimpered and fell to her knees, hunkering down in the snow.

Asami saw her fall to the ground and gasped. She handed Korra over to her father and crouched next to her daughter. Her whimpering was like nothing she ever heard before. It reminded her of when they first found the girl, still in an animal-like state. She hugged her, but the girl continued whimpering and grasped Asami's jacket. Asami hung her head. She couldn't stand to see her family in such despair and started crying harder.

The snow next to them crunched as Lin kneeled next to them. "Go to your wife. She needs you. I'll take care of this one."

Asami nodded and returned to Korra. Lin settled on the ground and pulled the teenager in between her legs and hugged her. The girl tried to grab her and managed to tear the metal armor a bit.

"You're gonna be okay, squirt." Lin cooed. "Settle down. You're okay."

* * *

Lin and Asami crossed paths in the kitchen yet again. This was becoming a daily thing. Since both Korra and Riko have refused to leave their rooms, the two women have been bringing them meals and such.

Lin started today with a sigh. "Asami, Riko's losing it."

"I know. I hear her at night. Korra's starting to get better a little bit. I think Riko's picked up too many bad habits from her."

"I agree. She handles stress the same way Korra does. But I don't think you get it. It's more than that. She's turning more animalistic every day. It's like she's reverting to her old ways from the wild."

Asami sighed. "I was afraid this would happen. I could see it during the funeral… I'll talk to Korra about it."

Lin nodded and walked back to the girl's room with a plate of food. "Riko, I have soup."

The girl growled from the dark corner of the room. Lin sat the plate down and yanked Riko up to the bed. "Sit."

Riko's growl lowered and listened to the woman.

* * *

"Korra, c'mon, sit up."

"No…" She replied, muffled in the pillow.

Asami huffed and yanked her up by the arm.

"Fine. I'm up."

"You need to eat and we need to talk."

Korra looked away. "Talk about what…?"

Asami ran her hand through her hair, a habit she did when she was stressed. "I think Riko picks up on your responses and it's causing her to act the same way as you are."

"What're you getting at?"

"I'm trying to say that you need to get out of this room and continue living your life. And you need to go see your daughter. She hasn't left her room either. And she's turning back to her old animal self."

Korra looked her wife, suddenly worried about Riko hearing that she's losing herself. She shuffled out of bed and stalked towards Riko's room. She lightly knocked and Lin opened the door.

"Lin?"

"Yes, I'm taking care of your daughter right now, Korra, but it's good to see that you're up and about finally."

"Is she okay?"

Lin let her in the dark room and suddenly Korra could hear growling. She saw a balled up mass in the middle of the bed. She patted her back and felt the girl tense up. It sent her into a flashback of when they first met.

"She's only getting worse with each day, but I can't get her to leave."

Korra looked back to the Chief and saw Asami too had joined them. She gulped and turned her attention back to her daughter.

"Riko, it's me-"

Suddenly the girl shot up and aimed a punch at Korra. She gasped, but the teenager froze at the last second, mere inches from hitting her in the face. Korra saw her eyes waver. She was still growling, showing off her sharp canines, but it lessened as she registered Korra in her mind. Riko quickly jumped back, ashamed that she almost hit her mother, and huddled in the corner of the bed.

Korra felt tears fall from her eyes. She quickly slid into the bed with her daughter and pulled her in close, not caring about getting punched.

"We're gonna get through this, sweetie, don't worry." Korra cried.

* * *

One morning while Senna was making breakfast, Tonraq saw someone peeking from around the corner of the staircase from his seat at table. He smiled and gently spoke to his wife. "Look who came out to join us for breakfast, Senna."

She looked over her shoulder and gasped. "Riko! Please come join us."

Riko pressed herself closer to the wall, seeming wary of entering the room. She growled a little bit.

"Lin was right." Tonraq whispered solemnly.

Riko heard someone else coming down the stairs and pressed even closer to the wall, wanting to avoid whoever it was. The woman scratched her head the way she liked and instantly knew who it was. She rubbed against her leg and gave a smile in the midst of her growling.

"C'mon, sweetie, I know you smell Senna's cooking." Asami persuaded. Riko followed behind her closely, bumping into her leg a couple times. They sat down together and Asami made both of their plates.

Riko hesitated to pick up her fork. She watched as what family was present chowed down. She grabbed the fork as someone sat down next to her. She looked over and her eyes widened.

"Hey badgermole, it's good to see you out of your depressing cave at last."

She whimpered and pressed her forehead against her shoulder.

Korra patted her head. She could tell the girl was frustrated and sad. "Let's eat. We can talk later, okay?"

* * *

Korra watched as her daughter trotted upstairs and passed Lin on the way. She leaned over to her wife. "Why's she walking like an animal again? I thought we broke her out of that habit."

Asami sighed. "I'm not really sure. It has something to do with the funeral…"

Lin met them at the bottom of the stairs while they whispered. "You've taken care of her for some 7 years now and you still haven't realized it? Unbelievable." Lin shook her head. "It's her way of coping! I've seen it before, multiple times actually. Now I'm wondering how you two haven't seen it."

"What are you talking about?" Korra asked.

"I've seen it during training and during one of her pro-bending matches. Whenever she's backed into a corner or sent into overdrive, it's like she becomes this animal. Literally. Like she's trying to return to the past or something."

"I mean she's gotten snippy with us before, but I always saw it as bottled up anger." Korra said.

"Lin, obviously Riko's going through something important and the changes are obvious. You said you'd seen her do this before, what exactly did you see?" Asami asked.

Lin sighed. "Well, the first time was during our first sparring match a few years ago. I was really impressed that she was able to keep up with me, even though I was still going easy on her. I had thrown her across the ground and when she got up she was on all fours and baring her teeth at me in a growl. It surprised me nonetheless, but I got used to it as time went on. More recently, I saw it during their pro-bending match against the Wolfbats. When they shot Nami off of the arena, I saw her eyes shine and could see through her mask that she was smirking that crazy smirk and growling. But then she saw me in the stands, and I think that settled her down a little bit."

The couple just stared at the older lady.

"Now, obviously, with Katara's passing…It's taken much more of an effect on her."

"How did we not see it all this time?!" Korra asked, holding her head in her hands.

"Korra it's really not a big deal. I know she tries to hide it from everyone. I doubt even her brother or sister have ever seen it." Lin said, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Korra thanked her and briskly walked to Riko's room. Asami followed her and saw her kids staring at them from the end of the hallway. She sighed and walked over to them.

"Don't worry, your big sister is gonna be better soon." She said, hugging them.

"It's okay, we've seen her like this before." Nami said innocently.

Asami pulled back and furrowed her brows. "What do you mean? When?"

Kohaku shuffled around nervously. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"No, please you need to tell me. It might help us fix this."

"Well I don't think you can put her into a coma again." He said sarcastically.

It took Asami a moment to process what he was implying. "You mean…when you were kidnapped?"

The boy nodded. Asami pulled them into one of the rooms. "Tell me again what happened that day."

He sighed, trying to remember the story they had told her. "We…we were taking a shortcut through an alleyway when we were jumped and knocked out. She was pissed when she woke up and as soon as she saw Shady Shin she was pulling and yanking on the chains that held us to the wall. She was growling a little bit and I could see the rage just pouring from her. Then their leader Viper came in and that's when things really went out of control." He paused, looking up at his mother. "She, she pulled free from the chains and threw them at Shin. And then everyone was jumping on her trying to stop her. I could see it as they tied her up… Her eyes, teeth… She was growling loudly, showing her teeth. It was really scary. And her eyes looked like they belonged to a wild animal. She had this crazy will to fight and it took a lot of beating to put that flame out. And then Korra came shortly after that and you know the rest…"

Asami ran her hand through her hair, processing the information. "That's the only time you've seen her like that."

The boy nodded. Asami sighed and kissed his forehead. "Thank you. That may help us."

Light flooded the room for a moment as Asami walked into her daughter's room. They were sitting up against the headboard and Korra was holding Riko, who was clutching her shirt tightly. Asami sat down next to them and patted Riko's head.

"Korra… They've seen her like this before."

"Who?"

"The kids."

Korra paused to look at her. "W-When?"

"…When they were kidnapped. Kohaku says that she went pretty wild trying to stop Viper, much like she is now."

"That doesn't help much."

"No, since she went into a coma after that. But we'll figure something out."

* * *

Later in the middle of the night, Riko awoke with a fright. She jumped up, sweating and breathing heavily. For a moment she contemplated crawling into bed with Lin like she already had done a couple of times during their visit whenever she had a nightmare. However, she decided against it, instead stepping out of bed and crawling outside to the shed where Naga slept. The creature heard her approaching and wagged her magnificent tail. Riko settled into her side and cuddled closer to her. Naga licked her cheek and together they fell back asleep.

She next awoke just as the Sun was rising over the horizon. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and looked around. It didn't look like Senna or Tonraq were even up yet, and they got up early every day to do chores. She stretched out and yawned, mist forming from her breath. Her hands ran through her hair.

"Achoo!" She sneezed and rubbed her nose. The cold was starting to help her come back to her senses, yet she refused to return to the house. She crawled across the ground and made her way into town.

People stared at her, but she didn't care. Her hands and feet left prints in the snow. She hung her head as she walked. Why did she feel so burdened? Why was she acting like this?!

She growled and shook her head to rid herself of her thoughts. Then she heard laughter from down an alley and peeked in. There were a couple guys passing around a blunt. Her eyes widened, suddenly feeling needy for the drug. She gulped. She felt for her pockets and realized she didn't have any money and groaned. 'I'm better off without it.'

One of the men saw her as she walked away and yelled out at her. "Hey kid! You wanna try?!"

She froze. 'No, I can't get wrapped up in this again! This almost got me killed!' She glanced at him.

Suddenly someone grabbed her and started dragging her away. "No thank you! She's not interested!" The stranger pulled her down a few blocks. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" She asked.

Riko stared at the stranger wide-eyed, partially because she was stunned someone stopped her, but more because of the girl's beauty. She was clearly from the water tribe. She had dark skin and brown hair that was haphazardly thrown into a wolftail. She wore a blue fur coat and blue sweats and fur boots. She had a single scar across her cheek.

"N-no, I'm fine. Thanks for stopping me." Riko stuttered.

"Stop you? Were you really planning on going down there?"

Riko looked away. "I thought about it."

"Well I'm glad I could help. My name's Karina!"

She smiled. "My name's Riko."

"Well, Riko, you're obviously not from around here. Why don't ya tell me about yourself?"

"You mean you don't know who I am?"

The girl pouted. "No, should I?"

Riko laughed. "No, that's great actually." She liked the idea of not telling her that she was the Avatar's daughter. "I grew up in the Fire Nation, but I'm actually an earthbender."

"The Fire Nation?! What're you doing here?" She asked. By now they were walking down the street again.

"Well I got taken in by this nice couple and-" She paused, choosing her words carefully. She probably shouldn't tell her that she lives in Republic City. That would probably give it away since Korra's usually the only one who travels from there to here. "I'm just here visiting their family with my brother and sister."

"You have siblings?"

"Adoptive siblings."

"Your parents sounds really nice to take in a bunch of kids."

Riko chuckled. "You have no idea."

"Sooo why are you walking like that?" Karina pointed out.

Riko looked down at herself. "Uhhhhh… I'm not really sure."

"It's okay if you don't wanna talk about it. I've seen weirder." She giggled. Oh how her giggle was pure heaven to Riko.

She shook her head again. "You know, you're pretty - pretty much the first person I've talked to in like two weeks!" Riko quickly changed her sentence in embarrassment.

"Really, why's that?" Karina chuckled.

"I… I uh kinda spiraled into a depression after…" She couldn't bring herself to say it. A few tears fell from her eyes and the girl sat down in front of her and hugged her. She must've pieced together the timeframe to the funeral.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't realized you knew Master Katara."

Riko sniffed. "It's okay. I'm getting better, I think." They hugged in the snow for a few minutes. "You seem pretty cool, Karina. D-do you think I can hang out with you sometime…?"

"Of course! I was just about to ask if you wanted to go sledding with me tomorrow! I mean, uhhh that is if you want. You don't have to…" The girl suddenly grew anxious at the end of her sentence.

"I've been holed up in my room for two weeks, I'll gladly take that offer."

Karina smiled and pulled them up. She held her hand for a moment as they stared into each other's eyes. Suddenly they both blushed and retracted their hands.

Then, they heard giggling behind an alley. Riko glanced over and nearly had a heart attack.

"Heyyyy Riko! Ya know everyone's worried about you. Ko – oof!"

Riko slammed into her brother and covered his mouth. "Don't you dare speak of our parents in front of this girl."

"Why not?" Nami asked innocently.

"Because I like her and I want her to like me for me, not because I'm the Avatar's daughter!" She hissed at both of them.

"What's going on over there?" Karina asked.

Riko laughed nervously and dragged her siblings over to her. "Karina, this is my brother Kohaku and my sister Nami."

"Aww, they're so cute!"

Riko scrunched her nose, making Karina laugh.

"Kohaku? Nami! Where'd you go?" Someone called down the street.

"Oh crap." Riko froze, then turned to her brother. "You said everyone is worried?"

"Y-Yeah." He chose his next words carefully. "Everyone's looking for you, ya know, since you disappeared this morning."

The voice grew louder as it approached.

"Look, don't let anyone blow my cover, okay?!"

Her siblings nodded.

"Your cover?" Karina asked.

Riko laughed again. "Yeah, it's t-this game we play. Top secret! I gotta run. I'll see you tomorrow at the hills?"

Karina smiled and agreed.

"Riko?!"

Riko pursed her lips as she saw her earthbending teacher get closer. "Heyyy Chief! Ya know, it's great that you found me! Now no one has to worry anymore! So I'm just gonna head out now and…"

Lin ran after her. "Not so fast, get back here!"

Riko smirked as she took off running. She didn't actually get far though. As they rounded the corner down the street, the kids could hear a resounding snap and cursing in the distance.

"Ow! Damn it Lin! That hurt!"

The kids blinked as Lin dragged a metal-wrapped Riko back. "C'mon kids, let's get back home so Ko-"

Riko threw herself at Lin's legs.

"Ow, damn it Riko! What the hell have your parents been teaching you?!"

* * *

Riko sat on the floor, still chained up, as her parents yelled at her. She hung her head as she felt the weight of the world sit on her shoulders again.

"Where the hell did you go?! You could've been attacked or kidnapped or worse!" "What were you thinking?!" "We were worried to death!"

Lin saw the sadness returning to her face and intervened. "Korra, Asami, calm down! She's safe now, okay. You're being too hard on her. She just went for a walk into town, for spirit's sake!"

Her parents paused. Lin looked back at Riko and released the metal bindings. Lin noted that some of the metal had been bent. "Go to your room for now."

Riko nodded and dashed up to her room. Suddenly her parents saw something that they hadn't seen in a while.

"You saw that, right?" Lin asked.

They nodded. "She's walking…" "Like a human again…"

Lin smirked. "I understand your anger and worry for her, but she's healing. Slowly, yes, but healing nonetheless… When I found her, well more like her brother and sister found her, she was talking to some girl and standing on her own two feet again. Do you realize how big this is? She was talking! And standing!"

Korra smiled. "This is great then."

Asami frowned. "But we were too hard on her."

Lin sighed. "Yeah, you were a little bit. I only stepped in because I could see the toll it was taking on her. I think after you two calm down, you both should go comfort her."

* * *

Riko sat on her bed with her knees to her chin. After some time, she heard her door open, but she didn't bother looking up. She was too upset. A woman sat on either side of her and hugged her.

"We're sorry, Riko. We didn't know." Asami whispered.

"We were just so worried and scared." Korra added.

Riko nodded and started to cry. They hugged her tighter, while Asami cooed in her ear and played with her hair.


	19. Chapter 15

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Karina asked.

Riko gulped and nodded. They were standing on top of the highest hill. Karina had made a sled out of ice and was already waiting for here to join her on it. Riko nervously sat behind her and the girl pulled the water reins up. "Ready?"

It wasn't that Riko was scared or nervous. She had been sledding plenty in her life. It was more of the fact that she was going to be so close to the other girl.

She nodded and they took off down the hill. Riko unconsciously grabbed onto the girl as they screamed. They hit a bump and floated in the air for a second. Riko's grip tightened when they abruptly landed back on the ground.

Karina glanced back and smirked. It was an unintentional effect, but she was glad that the earthbender was holding onto her.

They slowly skidded to a halt as the sled reached the bottom of the hill. Riko trembled slightly. Karina looked at her in worry. "Hey, you okay?"

"…That. Was. Awesome! Let's go again!" Riko cheered.

Karina smiled and they raced back to the top of the mountain.

* * *

"Korra and I are going out for dinner, so you three be good for your grandparents or else." Asami said to her children who were lined up on the wall. This was the only way to get all of their attention at once. Nami nodded with a smile. Kohaku saluted mockingly. Riko averted her eyes.

"Riko?" Asami said. She patted her head and turned her to look in her direction. "You okay?"

"Yeah, you don't need to worry about me. You and Korra have fun." Riko said, trying to pry herself from her mom's hand.

"If something's wrong we don't have to go, Riko."

"No! Don't do that for me. You two need your own time." Riko said.

Asami stared at her for a minute before sighing. "Alright. We'll be back before long." Then she went and followed Korra outside.

Riko skipped dinner, even though Senna had brought up a plate to her room. Her depression was getting the better of her again. She felt herself start growling and clamped her hands over her mouth. 'This is not happening again!' Silent tears fell from her eyes.

She looked out of the window. The sun was just starting to set, turning the sky a deep purple shade. After a minute of thinking, she decided to sneak out to take a walk, and maybe freeze to death while she was at it. She jumped off of the windowsill and landed softly in the snow. She threw her hood up and began her trek to the hills.

Karina saw a shadowy figure sitting atop the hill and cautiously made her way towards it. Night had long since set in place. No one in their right mind would sit out here longer than they needed to. She shuffled the bag on her back and shook off her hood. The person glanced at her as she approached. Suddenly the wind blew hard, blowing the hood off of the other person's head. Karina gasped. "Riko?! What're you doing out here so late?! You're gonna freeze!"

The head of black hair shook as the wind strengthened. "That's fine by me."

Karina felt her heart stop. This girl that she had just met two days ago, who seemed pretty cool and fun despite her weird demeanor, was now in such depression. She stomped over to her and yanked her hands away from her huddling knees. Riko looked at her in mild rage.

"I don't want to hear another word of that, you understand? I won't let you do that to yourself. Now get up." Karina demanded.

"Why?"

Karina clutched the collar of Riko's jacket and yanked her up. The younger girl stumbled as she was abruptly brought to her numb feet.

"I said, not, another, word."

Riko huffed and gritted her teeth. She crossed her cold arms and stared at the girl. Karina grabbed her hand and – "Shit, you're freezing!"

"Y-yeah? T-that was kind of the p-point wasn't it…?" Riko chattered back. She was shivering intensely. Karina huffed and began pulling her towards town.

"H-Hey, where are we going?!" Riko asked.

"To warm you up and cheer you up, that's what we're doing." Karina responded.

Riko look downtrodden as they got closer to the city and roamed the streets. They sat in front of one of the many fire pits placed in the streets. Karina pulled the shaking girl into her lap and wrapped her arms around her. Riko blushed at the warmth emanating from her body, reminding her of the way Korra's body does the same thing. It must be a water tribe thing. She peeked up at the native. "T-Thanks…for helping me."

"Heh, you're just lucky I was out there still." Karina replied, rummaging through her bag.

"What were you doing out there?"

Karina motioned to the bag, pulling out smaller handheld bags. She shook them and then grabbed ahold of Riko's numbing hands and placed two of the bags in her hands. She rubbed them into her palms, which somehow got really hot. Riko went wide-eyed.

"These are heating bags. They'll help warm you up for now. And to answer your question, I was hunting. Too bad I didn't find much. Which reminds me that I'm starving. Do you want to get something to eat?"

Just then Riko's stomach growled. She nervously laughed and scratched her neck. "Yeah I-I wouldn't mind actually. I didn't eat dinner."

Karina looked irritated for a second as she realized Riko purposely skipped dinner. Then a smile came upon her features. "Great then, my treat!"

"What? No! I can pay for myself!"

"Nope. I already called it!"

Riko tried forming a fist when she realized she was holding onto something else other than the heating bag. She looked down and instantly blushed. Karina giggled as Riko looked away in embarrassment.

"Did you just now realize that we've been holding hands this whole time?" Karina asked. Riko nodded and peeked at her again. Karina was staring at her, making Riko turn away. "Hey." Karina laid a warm hand on the girl's otherwise cold cheek and forced her to face her. "There's no need to feel embarrassed. If you don't like it, I can stop."

"No!" Riko replied before she even finished. She blinked in embarrassment and blushed deeper. "I-I mean, um, I, er, I kinda like holding your hand…"

Karina chuckled and pulled her closer. "Good, 'cause I enjoy holding your hand and being close to you."

Riko thickly swallowed. Anxiety was getting to her. Suddenly she pulled the native in for a hug, fisting the heat bags still. Karina blinked in surprise, but then smiled and returned the hug. As they pulled away, Karina brushed her lips against the other's cheek. Riko looked up at her in hope as the girl blushed.

"C'mon, let's go find some food." Karina said, pulling them towards a string of restaurants.

Karina picked out a nice noodle restaurant that wasn't extremely expensive. She laughed. They were still holding hands as they entered the shop and Riko was still blushing.

As Riko looked up, she saw one thing that completely took her for surprise. No, not Karina, but at a table in the back were her parents. Korra gave her a smug look and Asami offered her a smile.

Karina felt her tense up. Her hold on her hand tightened and she looked at her to see what was wrong. "What's wrong?"

Riko shook her head. "N-Nothing! Let's just find a table."

Karina nodded and found a table to sit at. Then a waiter came and took their orders.

* * *

"Korra, I'm serious! I think something's wrong with Riko still."

"Asami, hun, she'll be fine. She was right, we need a night to ourselves, okay? You need to relax."

Asami huffed and gave Korra a look. "You're not listening, Korra, again."

"Babe, look, I'll go see her when we get back, but we're here to have ourselves a good time. My parents can take care of her for a few hours."

Asami sighed, then agreed that her parents were capable of taking care of her. Just as Korra was about to respond, the waiter brought out their meals and Korra smirked.

"Of course you're smirking like that now that our food is here."

Korra chuckled. "No, it's not that. In fact, I think Riko is doing just fine without us." Asami rose an eyebrow. "Look." Korra pointed to the entrance and Asami turned around in her seat. Then she was smirking too.

Riko was dragged into the restaurant by a water tribe girl, who was still holding her hand as they looked around. Riko had a stubborn pout on her face as she blushed deep red. Suddenly she spotted them and nearly had a heart attack. The girl with her gripped her hand harder and said something to her. Riko shook her head and they found a table to sit at.

"Ohhhh this'll be good." Korra laughed. She smirked evilly.

"No, you will not ruin her date!" Asami said, snapping her fingers in her face.

"I'm not ruining it! Just, spicing it up."

Riko's hands shook with nervousness. She refused to look at Karina. The girl noticed and grabbed her hands from across the table. "Either you're still cold or you're really nervous." Riko continued to avoid her gaze. "Why're you so nervous?"

"Well, uh, I've never really been on a date before."

For a moment, Karina thought about messing with her head by asking why she thought this was a date, but the girl was nervous enough, so she spared her the embarrassment. "Well I'm glad I'm the first person you've had a date with. I'll try to make it special."

"O-Oh, it's already been special." Riko said, blushing again.

Karina laughed. "You're funny. You know, I like you Riko." Riko stopped breathing for a minute. "Hey breathe dude!"

Riko gasped for air. "Y-You mean…"

"Yes, I mean that I really like you. Do you really think I'd kiss you on the cheek and take you out for dinner if I didn't?"

Riko shrugged her shoulders. "…I like you, too."

Karina smiled. She let go of one of her hands to lay it on Riko's cheek again. She leaned over the table and planted a kiss on her cheek again. The girl continued to blush deeper. She stuttered a bit before deciding to shut her mouth.

From a few tables away, Asami awwed as the girl kissed her daughter on the cheek. Korra chuckled and rested her head on her hand.

Riko could hear her parents giggling like little schools girls from across the room. She had to bite her tongue to keep from yelling at them, because that would give her identity away.

The waiter brought their meals and they dug in. Just as Riko took a bite, a crumpled napkin hit the back of her head. She could hear Asami scolding Korra, who was laughing. She sighed and ignored it. As she continued to eat, Korra continued to throw things at her. Karina saw this, but remained clueless as to what was really happening.

"Um, are you okay? I think someone's trying to bother you, if only I knew who it was, I'd go kick their butt."

"No, no! It's okay, I know who it is…"

"You do? Then why haven't you gone to say something to them?!"

Riko scowled and looked away. Karina grabbed her face again to turn her back to her. "What's really going on?"

"I…I…" She wanted to tell her the truth, but felt that it was too early. "I'll tell you later."

"Why not tell me now?"

"Because…I don't want to scare you away."

"What could possibly scare me away at this point? Really, Riko, I've seen you walk like an animal and be so depressed that you wanted to freeze to death or go do drugs. What else could there be?"

Riko looked at her surprised for a minute before looking away in shame. She was right. Riko had done some horrible things. Why would Karina even want her?

Karina realized what she had done and quickly grabbed both sides of the girl's face. "I didn't mean it like that. Stop thinking so badly about yourself."

"I just… I want to tell you! But…"

"I can wait as long as you want, dear. I didn't mean to push you. Wait until you're ready to talk to me, okay?" Karina said with a smile, trying to lighten her mood.

Riko sniffed and grabbed one of her hands. "Thank you."

At least Korra had stopped throwing things at her.

* * *

As the married couple got closer to their home, they saw a shadow jump through one of the second-story windows. Korra laughed, earning a punch in the arm from her wife. Her parents greeted them as they walked in, telling them that the kids were in bed but Riko had locked herself in her room all evening. Korra smirked. They walked upstairs to their room. Asami yelped in surprise once the light flickered on.

Riko was perched at the foot of their bed. Korra continued to smirk and Asami laughed nervously as her daughter glared at them with her arms crossed.

"What a coincidence seeing you tonight, Riko dear!" Korra started.

Riko growled. "What did you think you were doing?"

"Us?! We were having a dinner like we planned! I should be asking you what you were doing there, sneaking out with a girl." Korra smirked more. "So what's the story? How'd you meet? I wanna meet her."

"I met her…when I wandered into town the other day. And you're certainly not meeting her." Riko growled.

"What?! Why not?!"

"Because…! I haven't told her about you two yet…"

The couple gasped. "Why not?!" Asami demanded. "Are you ashamed of us?"

Riko rolled off of the bed in shock and slammed onto the floor. "W-What?! N-No! I'd never be ashamed of you! I love you! You're my parents!"

Asami helped her stand up again. "Then what is going on?"

"Everyone seems to be asking me that nowadays…" Riko mumbled. Asami's expression let up a bit and she hugged the girl. "I'm not ashamed of you two. I just… I want her to like me for who I am, not for who I'm related to…"

Then her parents understood and Korra joined the hug. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's okay, mom."

"So what's her name?"

"None of your business!"

"Awww come on! You gotta tell us something about her!"

Riko scowled and blushed a bit. Asami squealed happily and pulled them down onto the bed. "Finally some girl time! Please tell us a little about her!"

"Fine, fine!" Riko huffed. "Um, well she's from the Southern Water Tribe, obviously. Um, she just turned 20."

"Oh goodness, she's older than you?!" Asami yelped.

"Yes mom, it's not a big deal!"

"You're right, I-I know! I'm just surprised! You're growing up so fast!" Asami yelled, yanking the girl into her arms.

"Gah! Mom! I'm 18!"

"Where did the years go?!" Asami continued. "Before you know it, you'll be thirty and having kids of your own!"

"Mom, please stop!"

Korra settled down beside her. "It's already been 8 years…?"

"C'mon Korra, not you too."

"Why? Asami's right."

Riko sighed, letting her moms gripe about how old she's getting.

"So what's this girl's name? You can at least tell me that much." Korra asked politely this time.

Riko sighed again. "Her name's Karina."

"That's a lovely name." Asami commented.

"Yeah, a nice Southern Water Tribe name." Korra smiled.

"Mom, we're not even that serious yet. It's only been three days. And you haven't even met her so don't you two get all lovey-dovey on me."

"Three days, and she's already taking you out to dinner? I think that's serious." Asami said.

Riko groaned as she was interrogated. All she wanted to do was to confront Korra about her rude behavior, but that quickly turned against her. "It's not like we planned to go to dinner! I, ugh, I snuck out of the house to go freeze in the snow and she came along and brought me out of my mood and she decided to treat me to dinner to cheer me up…"

And just like that, her mothers were looking at her in worry. "What do you mean you went to go freeze in the snow?" Asami asked.

Riko immediately regretted ever coming in their room. She stood up, marching towards the door. "N-Nevermind. I don't wanna talk about it anymore."

Korra quickly grabbed her arm and made her sit back down. "We're talking about this, whether you want to or not."

Riko groaned and held her head in her hands. "I don't know, okay?! I just felt so depressed all of a sudden and decided I'd go sit in the snow until I froze! Lo and behold, who should be walking by during that time? Karina! She just had to be out hunting and see me like that. She fucking saved me! I'd still be sitting out there if it weren't for her!" She yelled.

Her mothers froze at her confession of somewhat trying to kill herself.

"What?" Korra whispered. Her head was down, shading her eyes.

For half a second, Riko contemplated dashing out of the room, but that thought was cut off. Korra grabbed her by her collar and pushed her into the wall. Asami screamed at her to stop. Riko's eyes were wide with fear.

"Korra, stop it!"

"You really wanna die? Right now?" Korra asked. Her eyes were flickering white. "Do you know what that would do to us, your family?! We fucking took you in and we love you as if you were ours in the first place!" Tears started to run down her face.

Riko started to hyperventilate, but was frozen in fear.

"Korra, stop! Look at what you're doing to her!" Asami screamed, stepping in between the two. Korra looked up and her eyes flickered back to remain normal. She gasped and Asami pushed her to the bed. Riko slid to the floor in shock. Just then Lin, clad in a tank top and sweats, busted through the door and ran to the earthbender.

"Riko, are you okay?" Lin asked. The girl continued to breathe heavy and stare at the Avatar. Lin looked over to them. "What the hell happened in here?!"

Korra couldn't answer as she was pretty much in the same state as Riko. They really were, as the saying goes, like mother like daughter. Asami stood up to stop the police chief from attacking them. "Lin, er, maybe you should take Riko to her room."

"Actually I think I'll be taking her to my room for tonight. Now tell me what happened."

Asami ran a hand through her hair. "Riko…told us some upsetting news and Korra got really upset and pushed her into the wall. All the commotion was the screaming match between me trying to stop Korra and Korra yelling at Riko. That's it, I swear."

"What could be so upsetting that the Avatar pushed her own child?" Lin questioned. Asami stood quietly, unable to answer the question.

"She wanted to kill herself…" Korra said from the bed, still in shock.

Lin's eyes went wide with horror and glanced back at the girl. "What?"

"That's what she told us…" Asami said.

Lin crouched down to the girl again. "Riko… Is what they're saying true?"

The girl nodded and replied distantly. "Yes. I started it. I tried to go freeze in the snow…"

Lin looked back at the couple and sighed. "Things just got really fucked up, huh?"

Asami nodded and glanced at Korra. The Avatar had put her head in her hands and was starting to cry harder.

"You need to stay with her." Lin stated. "Riko can stay in my room tonight… We'll work this out, Asami."

"Thank you, Lin." Asami breathed.

The Chief nodded and carried the earthbender girl back to her room. She laid her on the bed and climbed in with her. The girl had begun to shake. Lin wrapped her arms around her. She felt how cold the girl was still and got up to fetch more blankets. Then she crawled back in and pulled her close to her.

"Shh, you're okay. We're gonna work through this." Lin cooed.

"I'm so stupid." Riko cried. "I'm so selfish and ashamed. I can't believe I tried to…" The girl grabbed onto Lin's shirt and cried. Lin rubbed her back until she fell asleep.

Lin sat still as she waited for the girl to wake the next morning. After a while, she began to squirm and blinked open her eyes. "Lin…" Her voice was hoarse.

Lin patted her on the head. "I'm here, squirt."

Riko groaned and snuggled closer. A knock came onto the door. Asami peeked her head in. She saw how close Riko was to Lin and rose a brow. "Um, breakfast is ready if you two are up."

Lin looked over her shoulder towards the door. The two looked at each other before Lin sat up. Riko groaned and reached out for her. "Riko, stop. C'mon, let's go eat." The girl just groaned in annoyance more and Lin wrapped her in a blanket and dragged her out of bed.

Riko stared at her food as the others ate. Her siblings were joking around across the table. She tried to discreetly look away from the food, but her mother saw it. "Riko, please eat something." Asami whispered from beside her. Lin was next to her as well and grabbed her hand. She gave her a pleading look, which Riko couldn't shake off. She sighed before picking up her spoon to take a few bites. Asami whispered a thank you to her. Korra was on the other side of the woman and acting just like Riko. Asami tried to coax her to eat as well, but she failed this time. Korra glanced over at her daughter, who was purposely avoiding her gaze. Then she stood up and stomped back to her room.

Riko gripped her spoon harder and harder until it broke. Splinters dug into her hand and she cursed. Why did she have to fuck up so much? She felt so ashamed of what she had done to her family.

Lin gasped and grabbed her wrist and started to pull the wood splinters out. Asami gripped her other hand for her to squeeze. "Damn it."

"Sorry kid."

"It's not you Chief." Riko hissed. They looked at her in worry. "I'm such a fuck-up… Why…? Why did you have to save me?"

Asami grabbed her face and twisted it to her. "Don't you dare start that right now. You're gonna get through this."

"What is wrong with me?!" Riko yelled, hanging her head.

By now, everyone at the table had stopped eating to watch in worry. Lin bandaged her hand, then Asami pulled her daughter into her. "Damn it Riko, nothing is wrong with you! You're stressed, we all go through it at some point."

"That's a lie and you know it! This isn't normal!"

Korra heard the commotion from downstairs travel upstairs and into Riko's room. She remained on her bed, knees drawn to her chest. Her heart ached.

Riko slammed the door, but Asami caught it. "Riko, calm down! It's okay."

"I'm tired of everyone saying it's gonna be okay! Not everything is going to be okay! Damn it just leave me alone to die!"

Riko started tearing her room apart and Asami was trying to stop her. The girl got out of her mother's grasp and ran for the exit. Suddenly Lin arrived at the door. Riko tried to stop and skidded into her teacher, plopping onto the floor with her. She remained on the floor and cried and Lin huddled over her. The Chief picked her up and laid her on her bed. "Shhh, shhhh…"

"She hates me!" Riko cried, yanking onto Lin's tunic.

"No she doesn't, squirt, she's just scared I think." Lin whispered in her ear. Riko squirmed in self-hate. "You really scared her, to think that you don't want to live anymore, and it made her do something that she regrets immensely."

"I'm tearing us apart!"

"No you're not. We're gonna get through this."

* * *

Korra heard her daughter's cries turn to sobs and muffled her own cries in her knees. The door clicked, signaling someone's entrance. "She hates me."

"Sweetie, don't think like that." Asami whispered back, crawling onto the bed with her wife. She wrapped an arm around her shoulder and leaned her into her. "She's just in a lot of pain right now. She hates herself for what she did."

"She's scared of me."

"No she's not, Korra. She just doesn't want to disappoint you again."

Korra shook her head as more tears fell. Asami hugged her.

"She needs help."

"She can see Kya."

"Korra… I don't think that that kind of healing is going to work on her now."

"Why not?" Korra asked indignantly.

"She needs a mental health professional. She needs medicine. That only comes from doctors, back in Republic City."

"The last time we left her in their care she was on bed rest for almost five months."

"And maybe that's something that she needs, but they can help her… Waterbending works on physical wounds, but the doctors can help heal her mental wounds… She can barely even earthbend here in the South. That could play a part of her condition as well."

Something clicked in Korra's mind and she slammed her palm to her forehead. "We've been here too long. There's nothing to earthbend here…"

* * *

Karina roamed the streets, hoping to perhaps find her girlfriend wandering around. She had done this for a few days now. Riko had seemingly disappeared in the last week or so, after they had a couple dates. It worried her, maybe Riko didn't want to see her anymore, or maybe she had done something else to hurt herself. Her worries multiplied the more she thought about it. If only she knew of where she was staying at…

Karina saw a pale woman looking through the fish at a food stand. Her long, swirling black hair was mesmerizing. She had plump red lips and jade green eyes. Though she looked like she could be related to Riko, the woman wore what seemed to be Fire Nation clothing. Then she remembered when they first met that Riko had said that she was raised in the Fire Nation until she was adopted. This lady had to know her somehow, right?

"E-Excuse me?" A young voice came from behind Asami. She turned around and saw the girl that Riko had been hanging out with. "Do you happen to know a girl named Riko…?"

Asami blinked in surprise then, thinking over her next words carefully, said, "Um, yeah I do. How do you know her?" This was her chance to get to know the girl better.

"Um, I-I met her a few weeks ago while walking through the streets and we've been hanging out since then. But I haven't seen her in a while and I'm getting worried about her. I came here to see if maybe she'd show up, but then I saw you and thought that you could be related to her… I don't know if something happened to her or if she's just avoiding me. Please…"

Asami's smile faltered as she rested a hand on her shoulder. "I know who you are. And I… I'm not supposed to tell you anything. I wasn't even supposed to meet you until Riko was ready, but it looks like that's not up to her anymore." Asami sighed. "I can take you to her. She's not avoiding you at all. She's just…not doing well enough to leave the house right now."

"Something happened." Karina stated, looking up nervously at the taller woman.

"No, something just, came up, and she needs us to take care of her right now."

"Who are you?" Karina anxiously asked after a minute.

Asami grinned. "I'm Asami, Riko's mother."


	20. Chapter 16

"Adoptive mother, right?"

Asami chuckled lightly as they trekked through the snow. "Yeah, her real parents died when she was young, leaving her stranded in the Fire Nation for years." She looked over and saw the curious look on the girl's face. "You didn't know that?"

"Well, no. She only ever told me that she was adopted by a nice couple when she was young. She's here to visit their family, well, I guess your family. And she has adoptive siblings. I don't understand why she didn't want me to meet you."

Asami sighed. "It's hard to tell what she wants nowadays. Hopefully you'll understand."

Karina's eyes widened as they approached a large house. "Umm, is that the house you're staying at?"

Asami nodded. The girl gaped for a minute before coming to the conclusion. "T-That's Chief Tonraq's house. W-Why are you…?"

Asami smirked.

"You're telling me that you're related to the Chief?!"

Asami chuckled. "You're getting warm." The girl shook her head in wonder. "Okay, think about who else is related to him."

"Ummm… Wait… T-The Avatar is his daughter." Karina remembered. Asami motioned for her to continue. "I… I don't understand. I'm sorry."

Asami smiled. "The Avatar is Riko's mother, too."

Again, Karina gaped. "Wait, so… You…and the Avatar…are Riko's parents? You're who took her in?! … Wait, I remember now. Y-y-you're Asami Sato, right?! The Future Industry's CEO married the Avatar a few years ago!"

Asami laughed and ruffled her hair. "There ya go, you pieced it together."

Karina stuttered a bit before forming a complete sentence. "I still don't understand why she didn't want me to meet you."

They stopped just outside of the house. Asami was biting the inside of her lip in nervousness. "She wanted you to like her for who she is, not for who she's related to." Asami pulled aside the curtain to enter. "And she's probably not gonna be happy with what I've done."

Riko tiredly pulled the blankets closer to her. Sleep had been evading her lately, but now she was happily asleep, if only for a few hours. She was woken when someone knocked on the door and heard whispering outside.

Asami gripped the Karina's arm. "She's in pretty bad shape, so try not to be too surprised when you see her."

The door creaked open, and the earthbender remained motionless in bed with her back to the door. Her hair was disheveled and the blanket was pulled tightly to her chin. Asami hesitated to enter the room. "R-Riko?" The girl squirmed around a bit, groaning. "Were you asleep?" Asami asked in surprise.

"I was… I'm awake now, though. What do you need?" Riko said quietly, sitting up. She saw a shadow behind her mother and squinted her eyes.

"We can come back later, hun." Asami started. "I didn't think you'd be asleep."

Riko rubbed her tired eyes and waved her off. "It's fine, mom. I won't be able to go back to sleep now anyway." Heavy bags hung under the girl's eyes. "Who's with you?"

Asami motioned for the guest to enter. "Someone who's really worried about you."

Riko gave a tired, confused look until her guest became clearer in the dark. "K-K-Karina?!" She looked back and forth between the two women. "Mom, what did you do?"

"I told her the truth. She doesn't think any differently of you, Riko." Asami replied.

"I… I…" Riko stuttered, tears threatening to escape. Asami made a step to comfort her, but Karina was closer and quickly sat on the bed with her and hugged her close. The tears slipped and rolled down her cheeks. Karina held her tighter, letting the girl clutch onto her and cry. Asami slipped out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Karina! You shouldn't have to see me like this." Riko cried.

Karina brushed her hair with her fingers, making Riko nuzzle into her. "It's okay. I'm here for you, Riko."

They sat like that for a while. Karina rubbed her back as her tears slowed down. "You could've told me about your family."

"I had to be sure."

"Who you're related to doesn't matter. I'd still be here no matter what. I like you for who you are."

A few extra tears escaped again. "I know that now. I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that you're sorry. It's not your fault. I understand now why you hid it from me."

"I don't deserve you."

"Don't start with that depressing crap talk again." Karina demanded, placing her hands on her cheeks to turn her towards her. "I'm so in love with you, I'd do anything for you."

A blush crept onto Riko's cheeks. She grabbed one of her hands and stared into her eyes. Karina glanced at her lips and back to her eyes. Riko's breathing picked up in nervousness. Karina moved her other hand to her neck and moved in close until their lips just touched. She held it there for a few seconds before pulling away. She felt the younger girl shaking. "I-I'm sorry, Riko! I-I…"

Even though she was shaking, she was smiling. "That was my first kiss."

Karina gasped and apologized again.

"Don't be sorry, I liked it. I'm happy that it was you."

There was a comfortable silence between them before Riko drew closer to her and kissed her. Karina placed her hand back at her neck and pulled her closer. As time passed, the kiss became more passionate. Karina pressed harder into her until Riko fell back onto the bed. The older girl straddled her waist, careful not to hurt her. They broke away momentarily to breathe, and Karina pressed her forehead to the other's.

"Are you okay?"

Riko chuckled and wrapped her arms around her. "You make me feel happy again."

Karina smiled and rolled off to lay next to her. Riko laid her head on her chest and hugged her, making the girl happily return the hug.

"Do you have to go home?" Riko asked.

Karina hugged her tighter. "No, I live alone. I don't have to go unless you want me to."

"No!" Riko exclaimed, lifting her head to look at her. "Please don't go, not yet."

Karina kissed her forehead and coerced her to lay back down by rubbing her head. "I'll never leave your side."

They fell asleep like that. And for the first night in a long time, Riko slept peacefully.

Asami paused at the door, her fist raised to knock. She listened to the last of their conversation and smiled. She quietly slipped away to let the new couple rest. Karina was good for Riko.

* * *

When Korra and Asami walked downstairs for breakfast the next morning, they were surprised to see Riko and Karina already sitting there. She was smiling slightly, giggling at a joke Karina had said. Karina smiled and grabbed her hand under the table, making their daughter blush.

They awwed, making the girls jump and pull away. Karina gulped and stood up to bow. "H-Hello, Avatar Korra."

Riko blinked at the formality. It felt odd to her. Her girlfriend shouldn't have to do that for her mother, even if she was the Avatar. It made her feel like Korra had power over her, though Korra bowed back respectively.

Suddenly Riko growled and yanked Karina back down in her lap. She yelped in surprise and held onto her. Her eyes widened when she saw the girl baring her teeth – at her own mother. Her eyes flashed with different emotions, but the growl remained.

Korra held up her hands. "I don't know what I did but I'm sorry Riko. Please, calm down."

"Hey, hey, hey, stop that, she's your mother." Karina said, touching her cheek to turn her back to her.

Riko looked up to her girlfriend through her down-casted look. Her eyes still flickered with emotion. The growl lessened until it disappeared, replaced by a locked jaw. Karina rubbed her thumb across her cheek to help calm her.

The married couple stood amazed at how fast Karina had calmed down their daughter.

Eventually everyone else arrived for breakfast. Tonraq chatted with Karina a bit, making Riko grip her hand harder. Lin watched Riko from across the table. The girl was purposely pushing her food around her plate to make it look like she was eating. Apparently, Karina had noticed too, and leaned on her shoulder to whisper something in her ear. Riko suddenly blushed and pouted stubbornly, then took a few bites of food.

After breakfast, Korra asked Karina to take a walk with her. Riko growled again and held tighter to her.

"Riko, babe, stop." Karina said. Instantly Riko clamped her mouth shut, but a silent growl grew in the back of her throat. Asami grabbed her arm, saying that Korra needed to talk with Karina, one Southern Water Tribe girl to another, and pulled her daughter upstairs. Riko glanced back at her sadly before ducking upstairs with her mother.

"I'm sorry about Riko." Karina apologized.

"I should be apologizing. She's my daughter and I can't even control her… Let's take this outside." Korra said. Karina nodded and the two walked into the snow. "I don't know what's gotten into her, but for some reason you're able to calm her."

"I don't completely understand what's going on, but I'm there for her no matter what. I know she's not exactly in the right state of mind right now."

"But you love her?"

"Yeah, I do love her."

Korra smiled. "I'm glad she has you. You're a good kid."

Karina jokingly raised a brow. "And how do you know that? I could be a stripper or a mugger or-"

Korra erupted with laughter. "Oh, you're funny. I can just tell that you're a good kid. I, as well as Riko, have a good sense of character. Also, I'm pretty sure my dad would have said otherwise at breakfast this morning if you were something horrible like that."

Karina couldn't help but to laugh with her. "Yeah, you're right. The Chief knows me pretty well. I hunt to help out."

"So I've heard."

"What does that mean?" Karina laughed.

"Not from my dad really, more from Riko. She uh… She told us about when she tried to go freeze to death and that you saved her only because you were still out there hunting."

Karina looked away at that. "Yeah, it scared me to see her like that."

"You should've seen me when she told us." Korra blew a breath of air. "She's been in a bad spot since then. That's why she hasn't been able to see you lately, until now at least. She's pretty depressed, but I think bringing you to see her was a good thing for Asami to do."

They continued walking along the icy cliffs in silence for a few minutes.

"You're leaving soon, aren't you?" Karina spoke up.

Korra nodded sadly. "Yeah. As much as I've enjoyed staying here… After everything that happened… We've stayed too long. She needs professional help; help that only comes from Republic City."

Karina nodded back. "I understand. I hope she gets the help she needs… Maybe I can come visit sometime."

Korra laid a hand on her shoulder. "That would be great, but I think you should wait to come up until after she's recovered a little bit. I'm sure she'll write to you in the meantime."

Karina agreed, and the duo headed back to the house.

* * *

"When are you leaving?" Karina asked. She held Riko in her arms as they laid in bed a few nights later. The waterbender had been staying over there since Asami brought her there.

Riko shrugged. "In a few days I think." She rolled over to face her girlfriend. "Why do you ask?"

"I just want to make your last days here nice. Maybe we can go out or something before you go home."

"You should come home with me." Riko said, then looked away in guilt. "Sorry, that's selfish of me."

"No, babe, trust me, I want to go with you, but you need to recover first. After you make some progress I'll come up to visit."

Riko smiled sadly and nuzzled into her chest.

Korra and Asami watched sadly as the young couple said their goodbyes. Lin rested on the railing of the ship as the other two siblings ran about the vessel.

Riko clutched onto Karina tightly. Tears slipped through her closed eyes, making Karina hug her tighter. Riko rested her head into the girl's neck, letting the aroma of her body engulf her. She breathed it in heavily, as if to remember it after they departed.

Karina painfully looked up to the Avatar and her wife. They nodded sadly and approached them. Korra laid a hand on her daughter's shoulder. Riko sniffed and looked back at her mother. She whimpered before hugging Karina one last time. Tears that Karina had been holding in finally escaped, and she kissed her forehead.

Korra placed both hands on Riko's shoulder and began to pull her away. The girl let herself be coaxed away from the dock. She glanced back at her girlfriend as Tonraq and Senna led her back to the village, but the girl took off running after the Sato family. Riko stopped and rushed to meet her. Karina hurriedly placed her hands on the earthbender's cheeks and planted a mind-blowing kiss on the girl's lips. Riko leaned in and wrapped her arms around her waist. When tongues began to slip out, Karina pulled away breathing heavily. Both had their eyes closed, just wanting to hold onto each other for as long as possible. Karina leaned in to her ear.

"Don't worry. We'll see each other soon." Then Karina slowly pushed her girlfriend back towards the ship.

Things began to go back to normal once they returned to Republic City. Asami went back to work and was furiously pumping out blueprints and machinery. Korra picked up on her Avatar duties. Lin went back to the police station, relieving Mako of his duty. Kohaku and Nami trained daily with Korra. But Riko was still recovering. Korra and Lin had tried to train with her, but the girl's bending had stalled since being in the South and it would take time for her to recover her skills. However, that wasn't their biggest concern right now. It'd been two weeks since they had returned home and Riko didn't even seem to care about bending anymore, which meant that her mental state was worse than they had anticipated, and that scared them even more.

Riko would barely lift a few boulders before stalking back inside the mansion. She didn't care anymore, but she still wanted to please her mom. She did it for her, so if Korra really wanted her to bend again, she would try.

Asami would watch her daughter drag herself down the hall and into bed, where she remained until dinner. Then she would just pick around her plate and drudge back to bed.

Asami ran her hand through her hair as she scribbled through papers. If only that damn appointment could've been scheduled sooner.

"You should come. You're smarter than me and you'd be able to understand him better." Korra said to her wife as they sat by the fire after dark.

"Korra, what're you talking about? You'll be fine by yourself." Asami replied. She sipped a cup of hot tea as she sat in Korra's lap.

"Please, Asami, I don't think I can do this."

"Korra, I can't go. I have too much work to catch up on. You'll be fine."

Korra rose a brow. "What'd you make this appointment for again?"

Asami sighed. "We need to describe to the doctor what's happened to Riko and see if we can come up with a solution of some kind. A plan at least."

They remained quiet for a few minutes. Korra stared at the CEO, who glared back at her. "Korra you know what'll happen if I miss work."

"Yeah, I know, I'll make up for it." The Avatar smirked, kissing her on the cheek.

Asami put a hand to her forehead to think. "If I go, it doesn't mean you've gotten out of going."

Korra nodded, smiling, and kissed her on the cheek again.

That night was unlike most nights.

Riko managed to fall asleep, but when she opened her eyes again she was in a dark space. She looked around, but saw nothing. Just a blank abyss of nothing. It felt cold, literally. She sat on the ground, which felt soft as snow. She continued to sit there for what seemed like hours, not in pain or in happiness, just content. That is until a heat started emanating towards her. She saw a tiny red dot approach her until it got bigger and bigger until it was right on her. She gasped, eyes wide. The flames were so strong that they started changing colors. Behind it, she could see the piercing gaze of the man who caused her pain. She jumped up, unlike her other dreams, and tried to earthbend. It didn't work, though. She desperately tried to bend but it refused to work. The fire was now licking her skin, wrapping its limbs around her until it lifted her off of the ground. She couldn't breathe. Her skin seared and smoked up as she burned. She gasped for air but nothing came.

A blood-curdling scream awoke the family. Korra didn't hesitate to jump out of bed and dash for the children's hallway. Asami was right behind her. Nami peered from her doorway as they ran by, with Asami plucking her off of the ground on the way. Korra rushed into Riko's room. The covers were thrown completely off of her bed. Kohaku stood outside of her bathroom door with a disgusted yet fearful look on his face. Korra got there in time to see her oldest daughter with her face in the toilet. Korra crouched down to her and started rubbing her back as her dinner came up. The girl was covered head to toe in sweat.

Slowly, the heaving stopped. Riko sat in front of the toilet trying to catch her breath still. Her tears mixed with the drool that fell from her mouth. Asami appeared with a wet cloth and wiped her face clean. The teen leaned back against the wall, cooling her seething skin. She audibly exhaled in relief.

"Korra, she's burning up." Asami worriedly told her.

Asami dragged the children back to bed while Korra tended to Riko. The girl staggered to the bed with Korra's help. Her breathing was still labored.

Riko grabbed onto her mother's arm. "I don't want to go back to bed."

Korra gulped, but nodded. "Okay, sweetie, what do you want to do?"

She continued gasping for air. "Can you stay here with me?"

Korra hugged her. "Of course."

They got into bed with Korra hugging her daughter, who rested on her chest. Korra began rubbing her head.

Asami stopped in the doorway. She huffed as the duo laid in bed. Korra continued to rub Riko's head as silent tears fell from her eyes. Korra glanced up at her wife and motioned with her eyes for her to lay down with them. Asami shook her head. She pointed at her then pointed harder at their daughter. Korra smiled in understanding, letting her wife return to bed.

Asami wanted her to have some alone time with Riko. They needed it, since Riko wasn't really bending at the moment and she had shut everyone out lately. They need that time together, even if it was just Korra comforting the girl during a bad night.

However, that didn't change the fact that Riko needed professional help.

* * *

Riko perched onto the inspection table as her mothers sat in the chairs beside the doctor's desk. The nurse came in to get her height, weight, and other stupid information that she couldn't even recount. The doctor walked in a few minutes after the nurse left. He wore normal, yet professional clothing except for the lab coat over top of it all. Riko started to growl, making Asami smack her on the hand. Riko pursed her lips to stop it, but that only resulted in a clenched jaw.

"Sooo! Sato family, what're we here for today?" He started trying to sound upbeat, though Riko's condition appeared pretty horrible and the bags under her eyes were still going strong.

Asami cleared her throat before speaking up. "Well, Riko's been pretty…depressed for the past few weeks since someone close to us passed on." She glanced at Riko to gage how she's handling everything. The doctor ushered her to continue. "It's gotten so bad that she…" A shaky sigh comes from her. "She tried to kill herself by freezing in the snow in the South Pole."

By now, the doctor seemed genuinely concerned. He took in her appearance and stood up. Riko glared at him as he placed one hand on the back of her neck. "Do you feel any pain in your neck or back?"

"I feel a pain in my ass." Riko growled sarcastically. Again, Asami smacked her hand. Riko's lips start to curl back, but she cringed in defeat. "Yeah. It does hurt actually."

"Mmmm, okay." He continues to ask her if she's lost or gained weight, if she's have headaches or problems sleeping, etc.

"I've only had trouble sleeping at night and end up sleeping half of the next day away. I had a nightmare so horrible that I got sick. You can obviously see how exhausted I am right now." Riko said, pointing to the bags under her eyes.

He nodded and poked her body some more to check for pain. It confused her, so she asked, "Why do you keep poking me? Doesn't depression have more mental signs? What does body pain have to do with it?"

He smiled gently. "Well, depression can come with a list of physical symptoms as well, such as back aches, chest pain, headaches, fatigue, sleeping issues, changes in weight, and so on. I need to check for these things to give you a proper diagnosis and medication. We'll work on the mental symptoms later in collaboration with a therapist."

"Oh…" Riko let him continue to poke her, though nothing else came up. He sat back down and she stared at him as he took out a pen and pad. The glare returned, not wanting to discuss her mental problems.

"I need to hear this from you, Riko, not your parents. When do you think this began?"

Riko sighed in defeat. "I know exactly when it began. During Master Katara's funeral…" Her grip on the cushion tightened. "I fell to the ground in tears. Momma saw it, she helped me."

The doctor turned to Asami for an explanation. "From the corner of my eye I saw her fall and immediately went to her side to comfort her. She was really upset…" Asami hesitated to continue. "There's something else you should know. Riko…she was homeless up until she was ten when we took her in. She grew up living with the animals and spirits of the forests, so she learned from the wild, not from people. She still acted like a wild animal even after we adopted her. That kind of habit takes years to break. When she collapsed during the funeral, it was like that old self returned. She kept to herself for weeks and growled at everyone and walked on all fours again…" Asami said, the sadness of the event returning to her.

The doctor rose a brow but nodded his head. "Interesting… Well, that might've been a way of her coping. Have you seen her do that before?"

"I'm right here, ya know."

The three of them looked towards the girl, though Korra was keeping quiet the whole time.

"I have done the animal thing before, but I didn't let my family see it. My brother and sister only saw it when we were kidnapped and Chief Bei Fong's seen it a few times in training. I didn't want to worry them or freak them out." She said, hanging her head.

"It's possible that it could be hereditary." The doctor said.

Riko's glare could've scared Naga away. "I don't know any of my family. They're dead." She growled.

The doctor paused, then sighed at his carelessness. "Right… So, I think a combination of medicine and counseling will be sufficient enough to help with your depression."


	21. Chapter 17

Riko sat silent for the sixth appointment in a row. The therapist sighed for the umpteenth time that day. "Riko, we need to make some progress here or we can't help you."

Her silence continued. The man sighed again and stomped out of the room. Riko hung her head as he walked out. Outside she could faintly hear him talking to Korra. "This isn't working. I'm not wasting my time like this." He said.

"What?! We're paying you either way!"

"I'm aware, Avatar, but I have other patients who are willing to cooperate to get better. I could be spending time with them instead of this girl who doesn't even want help!"

"How do you know she doesn't want help?! She just needs time! She's not exactly the most open person in the world."

"I know and I've dealt with patients like this before, but if Riko doesn't open up soon, then it's not going to work at all."

Korra sighed roughly. "Just give her a few more chances."

* * *

Asami heard the front door slam, signaling Korra's and Riko's arrival home. She wandered out from her office and saw Riko stomp into her room.

Oh great, this can't be good. She thought.

Korra came into her view, marching up the stairs. Asami caught her arm as she marched by. "What happened?"

Korra growled. "That stupid therapist doesn't think Riko wants help because she isn't opening up yet. He just needs to give her time!"

Asami furrowed her brow. "But we're paying him."

"I know! I reminded him and he still didn't care!"

* * *

Riko slid into bed and stuffed her face into one of the pillows. After a while she glanced over to her dresser. Letters from the South littered the countertop. She groaned and turned back to the pillow. She'd been avoiding Karina's letters for a few weeks now. She tried reading them, but every time it would make her more depressed. She silently growled before heaving herself off of the bed. She snatched up a random letter and began to read it:

…Riko, I'm pretty sure you haven't bothered reading my last letters because you haven't replied to me since your first appointment. I hope you manage to read this letter in time. I don't want to surprise you when I show up at your door, presumably unannounced if so. That's your decision though. Maybe you're just ignoring me entirely. I guess I'll find out when I get there. I'll be arriving in Republic City in about 2 weeks. I just hope you get this in time.

Riko paused to look at the stamp on the envelope. It was sent exactly two weeks ago. Shit.

She dashed out of the room, dropping the letter. She made her way down the stairs when suddenly the front door slammed open. She gulped at the sight of an angry Asami. "Mom, I need to tell you something important."

"Don't start. I can't believe you stopped replying to her."

"What?" Riko stuttered, confused as to how she knew.

Just then, a tan woman walked in behind Asami, carrying a bag of luggage. "Wow, Asami, the place is huge."

Riko stopped breathing for a minute and went wide-eyed. She clutched her shirt as her chest tightened. Asami let up her anger. "Riko, you okay?"

Suddenly Riko fell to her knees, still grasping her shirt. Asami ran to her side. "Riko!" The girl started to gasp for breath. Asami rubbed her back to ease her pain.

"What's happening?!" Karina asked, wide-eyed.

Asami sighed. "She's having a panic attack, though I thought we were over this. She'll be okay."

Asami cooed in her ear, soothing her until she passed out in her arms. Her breathing was labored but there nonetheless. Asami carried her daughter to her room, with Karina following. They saw the letter on the floor. Asami sighed and set her in bed.

"Is this my fault?" Karina asked, feeling guilty.

Asami shook her head. "No dear, she didn't read your letters so this one falls on her. I'm glad you're here, though. She needs you."

"I was starting to doubt it when she stopped replying and I'm still doubting it."

Asami laid a hand on her shoulder. "There's no reason for your doubt. She stopped reading them because it made her miss you. She still loves you."

* * *

Her vision was blurry when it first returned, but her breathing was normal again. 'Was I imagining that?' She asked herself. She stirred in her blankets and clumsily sat up, rubbing her eyes open. She saw a figure sitting at the end of her bed.

"Mom?"

"Riko, you're awake! I'm so sorry!"

Riko's vision quickly cleared as she went wide-eyed. "K-Karina?! I wasn't imagining it?!" Her breathing started to pick up again.

Karina quickly climbed into her bed and held her in her arms. "Shhh, shh, it's okay. You don't have to worry. I'm not upset."

Riko clasped on her shirt and hid her face in her neck. The girl continued to coo in her ear until she calmed down. Slowly, the earthbender wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"I'm sorry I stopped responding to your letters. It just made me upset sometimes."

"It's okay, Riko. I'm not mad, I understand. That's why I'm here now, to help you." Karina replied.

They sat like that for a while. Riko finally relaxed in her hold. She grinned at the waterbender. Karina smiled back and began running her hands through the girl's hair. She smirked as Riko sighed in content at the touch. The girl just loved that.

"Ya know, you're lucky I sent a letter to Asami, too. Otherwise, I think she would've been madder at you for this whole mess."

"That was smart, Karina." Riko replied contently. "So I'm guessing she picked you up from the docks."

Karina nodded and placed a kiss on her cheek. Riko chuckled and cuddled closer to her. She must've been in her room longer than she thought for Asami to go to the docks and back.

"Well this is definitely a different side of you I haven't seen in a while." Someone commented from the door. The couple looked up to see Korra leaning on the doorframe. "I like it, though. Maybe you'll finally open up to that stupid counselor of yours." Korra walked away to give them time alone.

Riko's smile faltered and she looked away. She forgot all about that. If she didn't change soon, they were going to drop her from the program.

Karina nudged her with her hand to look at her. "It'll work out, babe. I'm here to help you in any way that I can."

* * *

Two days later, Riko sat on the couch at the counselor's office. It started as usual. The man asked a question to try to get her to open up, and then she'd sit there silent for the rest of the time. She never bothered with laying down on the couch like you're supposed to do and sat cross-legged in the middle. The clock ticked impatiently as her thoughts ran wild in her head.

 _"_ _Trust me, I want to go with you, but you need to recover first. After you make some progress I'll come up to visit."_

Karina had said that to her before she left the South. Riko hadn't even made much progress in the past month, other than taking her medicine. So why did Karina come?

Riko sighed abruptly, making the counselor sit up straight. He waited for a minute for her to say something. When she didn't, he asked, "Is there something on your mind, Riko?"

She bit her lip, debating whether to open up to the stranger. She had to talk about something, even if it seemed irrelevant, or so she thought. She looked up uncertainly at the man. "Is it wrong to love the opposite gender?"

The counselor blinked at this, surprised by the random question. "Well, Riko, here in Republic City, things are changing for the better. Gay rights are becoming less of an issue, but that's different in other parts of the world still." He waited to see if she would interject, but she looked intent on listening to what he had to say. "I know many of Avatar Korra's fundamentals come from the Southern Water Tribe, so that's what influenced her, you, your siblings, and in a way Mrs. Sato as well." Riko began to look at the man in a new light. He continued. "The Southern Water Tribe is very open to things many other nations aren't. In the South, it's not unusual for two girls or two guys to be together. But because of this, the two water tribes split apart, forming two separate tribes."

"The two tribes aren't together because of that?!" Riko asked.

The man nodded. "It was a part of it. Did Korra never tell you that?"

"I-I… Well, my sexuality never occurred as a problem before."

"And it is now?"

"Er, no, but…" Riko looked down. "I'm trying to open up here."

The man smiled. "I know. You're doing well."

* * *

An hour later, the man emerged from the room. All three women there jumped up. He smiled. "She did well, Avatar Korra, Mrs. Sato. I believe we made some progress."

Korra jumped around happily while Asami thanked the man. Riko dragged herself out of the room, seemingly exhausted. Karina tackled her in a hug. "Good job, babe!"

Riko placed a hand on her back. "Thanks, but I'm tired. Can we go home?"

Karina laughed and led her to the car. Her two moms looked to the man. "Should she be this tired?"

The man chuckled. "It's okay. Sometimes this occurs when a patient first opens up, because they have so much bottled up and they finally release some of it. It's mentally exhausting, but she'll be fine. Let her take a nap when she gets home."

Riko didn't even make it home. She fell asleep before Asami started the car.

* * *

"Okay Nami, now screw that in there." Asami directed. The young girl did as told, using the wrench to secure a bolt in the machine. Together they put a few more bolts and wires in the car. "Alright, let's see if it runs." Asami said, running to the car. She turned the ignition and the car roared to life. She cheered and picked Nami up, who cheered as well.

"Good job, what's the occasion?" Someone asked from the garage entrance.

Asami looked up and saw her oldest child. "Riko, what're you doing out here?"

"I just came to see what you were doing," Riko replied, shrugging her shoulders carelessly.

"Where's Karina?"

"She's showing ma how to cook some new water tribe thing."

Asami let Nami down and carefully took in her older daughter's appearance. She recently showered, with her hair sopping wet still. She had thrown on some old training clothes and had fresh wraps on her arms. She stood as if she didn't have a care in the world, but Asami had a feeling something was off.

Asami pointed Nami over to some tools to pick up, then walked to the entrance where Riko hadn't budged since she walked in. "What's going on?"

"I could be asking you the same thing." Riko replied tensely, crossing her arms.

"What're you talking about?"

"How long has this been going on?" Riko asked, pointing to Nami and the garage.

"Umm, maybe two weeks. Why are you asking?"

"No reason." Riko said and began walking away.

"Um you wouldn't ask if there wasn't a reason!" Asami called and grabbed her before she wandered far.

"I was just curious about what my brother and sister have been up to lately." Riko replied a little more honestly.

Asami let go and Riko turned to face her. "I just wanted to show her some things on the car. One of you has to be able to drive, right?" Asami said playfully.

Riko smiled. "Yeah, I guess you have a point."

So Asami and Nami were working on cars together. Riko peered into the kitchen to see Korra and Karina still cooking up a storm. Where was Kohaku? She wandered around the house until she found him in the backyard playing with Naga.

'Damn, I thought he would be feeling left out too. I guess not.' She thought to herself.

Riko snuck by him and made her way to the training yard. She sat in the middle of the arena. She sighed as she played with the dirt on the ground and watched as it slipped through her fingers. Abruptly she stood up. Her expression was determined and she got into an earthbending stance.

Breathe, innn and outttt, steady.

Karina was really starting to grow on Korra. They laughed as the stew started boiling over and raced to catch it. Karina shuffled through the shelves looking for spices.

"Gah!"

The waterbenders looked at each other. "Ummm…" "That sounded like…"

"Riko!" They both yelled and sprinted outside.

They stopped short of the courtyard entrance as a small rock rolled towards them.

Riko looked up and saw her mother and girlfriend. She didn't smile at them though, still focused on her bending. Her breathing was labored and dirt covered her body. She groaned as she tried to bend again. Her arms began to shake with fatigue. She threw a boulder at the opposite wall and then crouched on one knee in pain.

Korra couldn't help but to smile a little bit. Riko was trying again, at everything. Karina bent down in front of the girl. Riko looked up through her shaggy hair, still breathing heavily.

"Hey there, kid. Your hair's all puffy." Karina said, running her hand through the wild hair.

Riko smacked her hand away. "Don't call me a kid. That makes it sound like I'm younger than you."

"You are younger than me." Karina laughed.

Riko smirked playfully. "You know what I mean. You're only two years older."

Karina rubbed away some of the smudged dirt on her face. "Look at you. Now you have to take another shower."

Riko groaned, annoyed, and laid flat on the ground.

* * *

"It was incredible, 'Sami! You should've seen it! She was really bending again!" Korra exclaimed as the couple got ready for bed.

Asami chuckled as she brushed her teeth. She rinsed her mouth out before speaking up. "I believe you, hun. She'll probably be at it nonstop now."

Korra came up from behind her and held her by the waist. She nuzzled into her neck. Asami giggled and laid her head on Korra's.

"I can't believe I'm married to the most powerful being in the world and have a family with her." Asami whispered.

Korra lifted her head to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean Korra." Asami retorted.

"But I thought you were the most powerful being in the world." Korra smiled.

Asami blushed and looked away. "What are you talking about Korra? That doesn't even make sense."

Korra chuckled and pulled her wife back to her. "What I mean is, you have full control over the Avatar, making you the most powerful person in the world."

Asami's blush deepened. "Korra…you're such a dork." She smiled and gently kissed the waterbender.

Korra gave one of those wide idiotic grins and hugged Asami tighter. "It's true, though."

Asami giggled and wrapped her arms around the other's neck. Korra lifted her off of the ground and made her way to the bed. "Korra!" Asami screamed and laughed as the Avatar threw her onto the bed. Korra crawled into bed with her. She straddled her and gently laid a hand on her cheek. It was simple things like this that made Asami blush. Korra smiled and placed a slow, sensual kiss on her lips. Asami moaned slightly and wrapped an arm over her shoulder. This was a sure sign of things to come tonight.

* * *

Karina woke up early the next morning and crawled out of bed. She looked back at her girlfriend. She was snoring lightly and drool slipped down her chin. She chuckled and began her trek to the kitchen to make breakfast. However, she was startled when she heard snoring coming from Korra and Asami's room. Weren't they supposed to be at work?

Karina thought for a minute before walking back to Riko's room. She didn't want to but she needed to wake her up. She shook the girl. Her current snore caught in her throat and she coughed. She sat up drowsily and looked up at Karina with sleep in her eyes still. She groaned, her attempt to ask what's up.

"Riko, aren't your parents supposed to be at work?" Karina asked.

Riko wiped the sleep from her eyes to see more clearly. "Ngh, yeah. Why?"

"I heard snoring from their room as I walked by."

Riko sighed, knowing the possibilities of what could have occurred to make them oversleep. "I'll go check on them." She groaned as she slipped out of bed and flopped to the floor tiredly.

Karina sighed at Riko's attempt to wake up. "I can check on them if you want."

Riko chuckled from the floor. "Noooo, you don't wanna do that." She grabbed the dresser and pulled herself up and wandered down the hall.

She blinked the sleep from her eyes, listening to the obnoxious snores coming from the other side of her parents' door. How did that not wake anyone up? She sighed and knocked on the door. "Mom? Ma? You up?"

She waited but got no response and the snoring continued. She growled to herself. She was going to have to physically wake them up, _again_ , not something she enjoyed doing.

The door creaked as she opened it. Korra had her head on Asami's chest, drooling in the process. Asami wasn't going to be happy with that, but for now she had an arm wrapped around her as they slept. Thankfully, they were at least covered by the blanket.

Riko mumbled to herself before going to the bed. She shook Korra first, then Asami. "Korra. Asami. You need to get up. You have to go to work."

Korra kept on snoring, but Asami managed to squint open her eyes. "Riko? What're you doing in here?"

Riko laughed quietly to herself. "Do you realize the time, mom?"

Riko made a beeline for the door as her mother looked at the clock. "AH, KORRA GET UP! WE'RE LATE!"

Korra jumped and fell from the bed. "Wha? What's going on?"

"Get up! We overslept!" Asami yelled at her. She was already rummaging through drawers for clothes and ran to the bathroom.

Korra looked at the clock finally and gasped. "SHIT! Lin is going to kill me!" She found clothes to wear and also made a dash for the bathroom.

Riko was innocently waiting by the front door when they finally emerged, clothed again. She smiled as Asami grabbed her and planted a kiss on her head. "Thank you Riko!" She yelled and then ran to her car. Korra followed closely behind. She skidded trying to stop in front of her daughter. She quickly hugged her and gave a kiss to her forehead as well. "Thanks Riko!" She then ran out the door and whistled for Naga. The polar bear-dog whizzed past Riko, making her hair fly about and fur waft by in the process.

Karina appeared from the kitchen with an apron on. "Wellllll, that was certainly interesting."

Riko chuckled and walked into the kitchen with her. "Nothing out of the ordinary for us."


	22. Chapter 18

Riko watched as Karina taught Nami a few new waterbending techniques after breakfast. The Sun shone brightly, warming Riko's skin. She smiled as the heat spread through her arms. It felt good after being in the South for so long. Spritz of water sprayed on her as the duo sparred. She sighed and wiped it off of her. She felt someone approach from behind her and turned around to look. She smiled as her brother came up and sat down beside her.

"They were late today weren't they?" He asked.

Riko laughed. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Their snoring was super loud this morning. And then I heard them screaming and heard you running away from their room."

She chuckled nervously and scratched her cheek. "Yeahhhh, it was one of those kind of mornings."

"I figured." He laughed.

They watched their sister fight with Karina for a few minutes. The native was very good at waterbending, maybe as good as Korra. Riko's face started to heat up, attracted by the show. Kohaku glanced over and laughed. "C'mon, let's go spar to get your mind off of things."

Riko pouted, but walked to the other side of the arena with him. They got into their stances and Kohaku sent a small flare at her. She dodged easily and shot a rock at her brother. They tossed their elements back and forth for a few minutes. They didn't even notice the two other girls stop to watch them. Riko sent a ripple of earth crashing into her brother. He stumbled, but a smile held onto his face. He did a backwards tumble and shot a stream of fire at her. She slid to the side to dodge it. She was about to strike back, but paused when Kohaku just stood there mockingly.

"What?" She asked.

"I think it's time you had that talk with the Chief." He stated, causing her to blink. "You were smiling the entire time during our match."

Riko then realized that she had been smiling the whole time, and suddenly started to feel better. Karina came up and wrapped her arms around her neck. "I think it's cute." She said. Riko blushed and scowled as she kissed her on the cheek. Nami and Kohaku gagged.

* * *

The next day, Riko dragged Karina with her to the police station. She showed the foreigner things on the streets as they walk by. They stepped into the police station and something just felt off to Riko. The officers weren't running around like chickens with their heads cut off. The air seemed calm, but there's always a calm before the storm.

She held a confused look on her face, but walked into Lin's office nonetheless. Or at least, she thought she had. In the chair sat Mako, scribbling on paper after paper. He looked up when he heard and "eep!" come from the doorway. "Riko?"

"Mako?! What're you doing here?!"

The man scratched his chin, unprepared for this conversation. "Um, Lin wasn't feeling well today. She called off. I'm covering for her at the moment."

"What?! Lin's never sick!" Riko yelled. The whole station heard her. She stomped out of the office with Karina trailing behind.

"Riko, c'mon! Don't be like that!" Mako yelled, trailing after her. It was useless, though.

Lin could feel the 18-year old stomping towards her apartment from a mile away, so the knock at her door didn't surprise her when it finally came. She got up from the couch and made to open the door. She couldn't help but smirk as she saw Riko leaning on the doorframe intimidatingly. Karina stood cautiously in the background.

"What the hell, Lin? I know you're not sick." Riko stated.

Lin crossed her arms and leaned against the opposite side of the doorframe, mocking the girl. "Really? How do you know that?"

Riko growled and stomped into her home. Lin chuckled and motioned Karina to come in. She nodded her thanks to the elder.

Lin watched as Riko marched around the room looking for evidence of any illness. When she found none, she growled at Lin. "What's going on with you not coming to work? On the one day that I come specifically to talk to you!"

Lin gave a quiet chuckle and then sighed. "Riko, I haven't been to work all week."

The girl's eyes went wide. "What?! Why?! You're the Chief! What're they supposed to do without you?! What if–"

"Riko!" Lin called, reinstating an old fear in the girl. She halted her argument, fully feeling that fear again. Her head lowered and she bit her lip. "Sorry…"

Lin motioned both of them to sit down. They obliged timidly while Lin walked away. She returned with a tray of tea. Karina thankfully took a cup. Riko thought about declining, but after meeting Lin's eyes, she knew better than to trigger her anger for a second time in the short time span.

"I've been meaning to talk with you about this, Riko. And I specifically demanded Korra not to tell you. I wanted to be the one to tell you about it." Lin started. The young couple stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "I'll be stepping down as Chief within the next year or two."

Riko abruptly stood up and stomped to the window. Her fists clenched with anger. She bit her lip again to keep from erupting.

"I know you don't want me to retire, and I'm not, for now at least. But I can't handle these responsibilities by myself anymore and I need to be sure that my successor will be okay." Lin said.

Riko replied with her back turned still. "You mean Mako."

"Yes, I do mean Mako. I trust in him, Riko, you should too."

Riko took a breath and sat back down on the couch. "So what happens now?"

"Now, I'm integrating Mako into the position. I'm still chief, but a year from now I hope to name him the new Chief-of-Police. After that, I'll be a part-time commander until I decide to retire."

Riko grunted and looked away. The girl was obviously displeased with this decision.

"Riko, I'm 65 years old. Most people retire long before now."

Riko sat quietly, processing the information. Lin sighed. "You never stated why you were originally looking for me."

This caused the girl's expression to ease up, remembering her original goal. She looked up at Lin hopefully. "Er, I was wondering… Are you still my earthbending teacher?" She said, but looked down dejectedly before she even got an answer. Lin's laugh made her look up again.

"Of course I am! Who else would teach a brat like you?" Lin replied with a jokingly smile. "That's why you're here?! Spirits, I've been waiting for you to come back to me!"

Riko's smile slowly returned. She rapidly jumped up and tackled Lin in a hug. Lin laughed shortly, but then motioned her to let go. Riko scratched the back of her head and smiled brightly. Sigh, she really did take in Korra's habits.

"So I'm guessing you've been bending again?" Lin asked.

Riko nodded happily and looked to Karina, who smiled. "Yeah, she started again a few days ago. It was beautiful."

Riko blushed as her girlfriend winked at her. Lin gagged, just like her siblings, then spoke up again. "Keep the details to yourself. I'm just glad that you're starting to return to normal, kid."

Karina laughed. "Don't call her a kid. It makes her feel 'young'." Then she pinched Riko's cheek.

Riko swatted her hand away. "I said for YOU not to call me a kid! Lin's different."

"I'm different? Why, because I'm old?! Geez, I wish someone would call me a kid." Lin threw her hands in the air.

Riko smirked and nudged her with her elbow. "C'mon 'kid', why don't you start teaching me again?" Lin quickly grabbed her and held her in a chokehold. "Gah! Lin I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

"So 'kid', when do you feel like coming back under my wing?" Lin mocked.

* * *

For the millionth time in her life, Riko was covered head to toe in dirt, yet again. She lifted herself off of the ground with a wince.

"Riko, you don't have to push yourself so hard. I can tell you're quite rusty still." Lin said from just a few feet away.

"No! I want to be back to normal! Why's this so hard?!" She yelled, aimed at herself. She stumbled as she stood back up, but Lin caught her. She pushed her away, though. She tried walking away but her legs gave out and she slumped to the ground. "Why can't I get it?" She asked. Tears were starting to slip out.

Lin slung her arm over her shoulder and helped her inside. "You're just starting out again, kid. It takes time, but you'll get it."

Riko scoffed, annoyed with having to be carried inside. They had a long water break. Riko sat fuming the whole time.

"Riko, you should go home and rest. You've been at it for days now. I know you want to earthbend now, but rest is a part of that recovery still." Lin said to her.

Riko crushed the cup in her palm and marched out of the building in a huff. Lin sat in astonishment. She looked back and forth between the door and the cup. Riko had just destroyed a metal cup! She hadn't even realized it before she stomped away. After recovering from the initial shock, Lin chuckled. The girl's a natural and she didn't even know it.

After staying home all weekend to cool off, Riko made her way back to the police station. They always trained at the station's courtyard. She ventured onto the field and saw Lin setting up some metal gear.

Riko rose a brow. "Um, Lin, I thought my training was today, but it looks like your setting up for metalbending practice. I can come back tomorrow if you want." She said, pointing her thumb behind her.

Lin chuckled, which frightened Riko. "This is actually for you."

"Me?" Her thumb now pointed at herself.

"Yes, you! Unless you feel like quitting all of a sudden." Lin replied.

Riko pouted and walked closer to the gear. "So, uh, what's this for?"

"Go warm up first and then we'll talk." Lin commanded.

Riko's pout continued and she walked some distance away to do her stretches. She watched Lin rearrange the metal aimlessly.

When Riko turned her head and Lin knew she wasn't paying attention at last, the Chief hurled a small hunk of metal at the girl.

Riko felt through her feet that Lin had just abruptly thrown something. She turned just in time to catch the metal piece and stop it. She looked up at Lin angrily but the woman was smiling.

"Congrats, Riko, you're a metalbender." Lin said.

Riko gasped and examined the metal ball. Her fingers indented the small object. She had metalbended! Her eyes lit up and she began running around the arena like a maniac. "I'm a metalbender!" Lin laughed and caught the girl by the collar as she ran by. "Oof! Lin! How'd you know?!"

"I realized it a few months ago, kid, though you had absolutely no idea. Remember when I caught you in the South Pole and you were trapped in my metal wires?" Riko nodded. "Well, after I let you go, I felt that the wires had been impressed on, by you." Riko gasped excitedly. "Then just last week when you left in a huff, you completely crushed the metal cup. You never even realized that you could metalbend."

Lin let her go and the girl ran about again just to plop onto the ground a few feet away. The metal was still in her hand. She held it in the air in front of her. "I can metalbend." She whispered to herself.

Lin plopped down next to her. "Yeah, kid, so don't go giving up just yet." She ruffled the girl's hair and they laughed.

"Chief Bei Fong!" An officer came running out of the station. Lin frowned and stood up. She walked over to him and they hastily whispered. Riko saw Lin's eyes go wide and stood up to join them. Lin started stomping back to the station.

"Lin, what's going on?"

"The Triple Threat Triad just robbed a bank. Korra's on the scene now." Lin said.

Riko gasped. "I'm coming with you!"

Lin looked back sternly, then sighed. "Alright then kid, c'mon!"

* * *

Riko dove from Lin's car as they skidded to a stop at the bank. Earth was thrown about haphazardly. Fire drifted down the street. Puddles of water appeared here and there. They heard a crash from around the corner and dashed towards it.

Korra was fending off a couple of enemies when backup finally arrived. What she wasn't expecting, however, was that her daughter was among the ranks. She looked to Lin furiously. Why did she bring Riko?!

Riko stopped a block of earth from hitting her mother. Korra blinked and turned back to fight the thugs. Riko rolled her eyes before jumping to her mother's side. She smirked as they fought back-to-back.

"Just like you always wanted, right ma?" Riko said.

"Tch, you shouldn't be out here. I can't believe Lin brought you along." Korra replied as she sent a fire kick at her opponent.

"Don't deny it. Besides, I'm 18, ma. You were fighting criminals at 17." Riko continued to smirk. She sent a block of earth flying into a couple of thugs. From a distance, Lin and her squad was fending off a horde of thugs.

Korra looked over her shoulder towards Riko. The girl's smirk was contagious and Korra couldn't stop the smile from coming onto her face. "Whatever you say."

Riko's face drooped a little bit and she fired earth at the thug opposite of her mother. Korra gasped and turned back around.

"Looks like you need me more than I thought." Riko commented smartly.

"You're the one distracting me, badgermole." Korra responded. She glanced at her daughter. Of course, that bright smile of hers only appeared when bending. Like mother, like daughter. Korra sighed and jumped to dodge an earth attack, splitting the duo. Riko felt the earth block approaching her from behind. She caught it and used its momentum to fire it at her opponents. The fight continued for many more minutes with Korra and Riko separated.

For once, Riko thought that she had found her calling. She felt so good fighting these bad guys. She was already plotting ways to sneak onto calls with Lin later on.

Suddenly she heard her mother yell out in pain. She immediately looked over and saw that Korra was cornered by a firebender. She had a block of earth in front of her acting as a shield, but it would give out any second now.

Riko felt a spark light and she raced over. There was a loud bang. She planted her feet in the ground and sent an earthquake at the man. He tumbled over and she shot him down the street, where he fell unconscious. Riko looked back for her mother and saw that she had been thrown against the wall and laid limp on the ground. The man's firebending had busted through her defenses and crashed into her. Riko's eyes went wide and tears appeared in the corners. "MA!"

The young girl dashed over. She pulled Korra into her lap. Her mother groaned in pain. That's when Riko saw her singed skin. Her entire side was scorched. Riko gulped and pulled the hair out of Korra's face. Enemies were approaching them, prepared to finish them off for good. There was a different look on Riko's face, though. As they got closer, they could hear a menacing growl coming from the girl. She gently laid her mother on the ground and stood up baring her teeth. When she finally lifted her shaded eyes, she attacked. She pounded her fist into the ground, sending a savage earthquake into the crowd. They skidded across the road. A few stood up and immediately went for the offensive. Riko split oncoming earth and blocked fire and water with her own earth. She shot small boulders back.

Lin felt through vibrations that Korra had been taken down. She raced over and saw Riko defending her mother while taking on a whole group of thugs. The Chief kneeled next to the injured Avatar. "Korra! C'mon, wake up!"

Riko knew that Lin was tending to her mother, so she felt better with taking the fight away from them. The men were starting to go for close combat, though. They jumped around her, taking punches and kicks at her. Riko did well with blocking the first few, but then a roundhouse kick sent her flying. She instantly got right back up and raised her fists. She bent the earth so that it covered her hands, so now she landed harder hits and the thugs were wary of getting close to her.

Riko smirked. She was taking control of this fight, she controlled close combat and distance combat.

A few opposing earthbenders stole her idea and got in close, but Riko quickly knocked them out. Firebenders threw huge fire bolts at her, but she just brushed them away. The few waterbenders there attempted to strike her with their water-whips, but she dodged. The fight was clearly in her favor, and there still was probably a dozen thugs surrounding her.

Riko continued the good fight for a few more minutes. She noticed that more police officers were finally starting to assist her. Lin had at least gotten Korra sitting up against her for support from their seats on the ground. They had an advantage in this fight, even with the Avatar down with a serious injury.

Then all of a sudden, with a splash of chilly water, all Riko saw was darkness.


	23. Chapter 19

"Riko!" Lin panicked as the earthbender fell to the ground with a thud.

A perfectly-aimed water whip whizzed through the girl's defense. She turned away too late, and it hit her square in the temple. The whip was sharp as a blade and slit across her forehead, just above her eye, and came short of her cheek.

Blood was already leaking from her wound. Korra tensed up in her arms and weakly called out to her daughter. Lin quickly propped the Avatar up on the wall next to them. She had to get to Riko fast, because the thugs were advancing on her.

The ground rumbled as Lin sent a quake at the group of thugs. They yelled out as Lin shot metal wires at them, tying many of them up. Her police force was rounding up the last of the criminals. Lin earthbended a few more guys away and finally made it to the young earthbender.

Blood oozed from her forehead and the blood from her open mouth was starting to drip down her chin. Her skin was already palling. Lin scowled and bit her lip. This was not happening to Riko, not again.

"Lin, bring her here." Korra called out weakly.

Lin gently picked Riko up and carried her to her mother. Korra attempted to waterbend, but Lin grabbed her wrist. "Korra, don't try to bend. You're injured really badly." She said sternly.

Korra weakly pulled away. "She's my daughter! I have to do something." Korra coughed out.

Lin looked around and noticed that most of the bandits had been rounded up. "Stay put, and don't bend!" She said, before running back to her car that was still parked around the corner.

Korra saw Lin wildly drive around the corner and skidded to a stop in front of them. Korra felt herself begin to slip from consciousness again when she felt a hand on her arm.

Riko managed to open her eyes, though her right eye was flooded with blood. She squinted and gave a tiny smirk. "Hey ma…"

Tears threatened to fall from Korra's eyes. Though Riko was a strong, capable young adult now, Korra didn't see it that way. To Korra, she was still her 10-year old baby girl that she and Asami rescued in the Fire Nation. How many times will her life be put in danger?

Korra pulled her wet hair out of her face. "Don't talk, sweetie."

Riko nuzzled closer to her mother. She heard metal boots approach from behind and saw Lin. She helped both of them into the back seat, and then took off like a rally car.

* * *

"Lin, you drive like a maniac!" Riko called.

"I'm trying to get you two to the hospital!" Lin yelled. The car swerved as she darted through an intersection.

Riko grabbed onto her mother, who had wrapped an arm over the girl's shoulder. Korra's condition was getting worse by the minute, while as Riko recovered her consciousness. Korra laid her head on her shoulder and finally passed out. Riko gasped and yelled at Lin to drive faster.

Nurses frantically ran out with a stretcher as they pulled into the ER bay. Lin pulled Korra out of the vehicle and laid her on the bed on wheels. She held the Avatar's hand as they rolled her away. Riko dove from the car and trailed after them. However, she stumbled and held her head as she kneeled. Her vision was blurred thanks to the blood pouring from her forehead and her balance was so jacked up she couldn't tell up from down.

New nurses ran out with another stretcher and tried to pull her onto it. Riko pushed them away, though. She got up and ran towards the ER entrance. Darkness was encroaching on her and she knew it, but she was more concerned with her mother's health. Her knees grew weak and she stumbled again. She gasped for breath. Suddenly her eyes rolled back and she passed out.

* * *

There's a sharp ringing in her ears when Riko came to again. Her vision was still blurry. She must not have been passed out for long because they're just now rolling her into the sick bay. She tried to wipe away the blood from her eye, but a nurse yanked her hand away and replaced it with a towel. There was like 3 or 4 nurses running about wildly in the small enclosure. Something sharp stabbed her arm and she saw a nurse hooking her up to an IV.

"Where's my mom?" She asked. Her voice was coarse. The nurses looked at her with confusion. Riko groaned. "Ya know, the Avatar?"

The nurses released an 'eep!' sound. Then the lead nurse spoke up. "She's in serious condition. The doctors are working on her now."

A growl erupted from Riko's throat and she abruptly jumped up. The nurses screamed at her to sit down. "No, let me see my mom!"

Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into the bed. It's a male nurse; in other words, someone that could possibly stop her oncoming rampage. Riko bared her teeth and punched the man in the face. He groaned and let go. She attempted to jump from the bed but the other nurses teamed up to grab her. They pushed her to lay back into the bed. The male recovered and went for the restraints. One of the nurses suggested to sedate her, but the lead nurse declined. "We can't sedate her when we don't know the extent of her head injury."

Riko pulled at the straps, but they held strong. A nurse tried to clean her wound, but she pulled away roughly. "You need to be taking care of Korra instead of me!"

The lead nurse gently touched her arm. "Sweetie, the doctors are taking care of her right now as we speak. Now let us nurses do our job to help you."

* * *

Asami drove as fast as she could, running red lights and nearly hitting pedestrians. She was probably the most skilled driver in the whole city, though, and avoided causing any accidents. She didn't particularly care, however. The call she received scared her to death.

'Why hadn't I been there?!' She asked herself that. She skidded into the hospital parking lot and dashed inside.

Riko continued to fight even as she grew weaker. Suddenly the curtains were yanked away and Asami appeared. "Momma!"

"Riko! You're okay!" Asami ran to hug her, making the nurses move out of the way. She saw the restraints binding her daughter and sighed. "Are you acting like a brat for these nurses?"

Riko scowled. "What?! No! They should be taking care of Korra!"

"Sweetie, Korra's being looked after by the nice doctors here. They're taking good care of her. You need the let the nurses do their job, too."

Riko continued to resist the nurses, but nuzzled closer to Asami. "I'm fine, mom." She said a little more calmly.

Asami rolled her eyes and held her hand out. "Really? So how many fingers am I holding up?" She questioned.

Riko squinted her good eye, but still it was too fuzzy to see. She hung her head.

"Mm-hm. That's what I thought. Your wound is still bleeding, Riko. They're going to help you." Asami said.

Riko groaned in annoyance, but finally allowed one of the nurses to begin cleaning her bleeding wound. She winced and Asami grabbed her hand. "You're going to be okay, both of you. I'll be back in a little bit."

Asami closed the curtain and followed a new nurse to see Korra. She had said all of those things to Riko for her to let the nurses help her, but she hadn't even seen Korra yet. Riko was her first stop when she heard the news. Korra might be in horrible condition. She just didn't know. And seeing Riko that worked up in worry over Korra scared Asami a lot.

Lin was sitting in the surgery waiting room when Asami showed up. She plopped down in the seat beside the chief and waited to hear any news. Silence grew in the room. Asami sighed. "I should've been there with her."

Lin rose a brow. "Asami, you have your work with your company. That's your job. There's no reason to blame yourself here." She sighed and clenched her fists. "If anything, I should've been able to do more, for both Korra and Riko." She glanced at the CEO. "How is Riko doing? I'm assuming you passed by the ER bay."

Asami chuckled slightly. "She'll be fine if she can just let the nurses do their job." She bit her lip. "What about Korra? How is she doing?"

Lin stared at the young woman before speaking. "Well, she received some pretty serious burns, but they're working on treating it as we speak. She'll recover."

Asami huffed and stressfully ran her hands through her hair. "Why does this keep happening to them? Why do both of them always have to face danger like this?" Tears started dripping from her eyes.

Lin patted her back awkwardly. "I thought the same thing after I saved Riko. How many times do they have to put their lives on the line? There's no way to answer that though, because that's just who they are. They care about helping others and would put their lives in danger to save others. That's what your daughter did today, Asami. She fought tooth and nail to keep the bandits away from Korra after she was knocked out. It was remarkable."

Asami shook her head in disbelief. "How?! Riko isn't back to her normal earthbending-self still."

"She's been getting better, but I know what you mean. I think something just clicked when she started fighting side-by-side with Korra."

"She certainly sounded like her old self when she refused to let the nurses help her." Asami replied jokingly.

Lin smirked. "She's starting to act like her old self again. I think she's recovering well. She does really well with training. How's her counseling been going?"

Asami sighed again. "It's going okay. She's being a little more open with the therapist. The medication helps, too, but she has some rough days still."

"As to be expected." Lin said.

Asami smiled slightly. "But I think she'll be okay."

* * *

"Wow kid, they really did a number on you."

"I told you not to call me a kid!" Riko crossed her arms and turned away from Karina who sat beside her bed. Karina laughed and pinched Riko's cheek. "Oww! Stopppppp!"

Riko pouted as Karina smiled at her. The waterbender started leaning in, making Riko blush in nervousness. She put a hand on her un-bandaged cheek and pressed her lips to the other girl's lips. Riko pressed her hands to the bed to keep herself steady as she closed her eye. Karina slowly pulled away. "So am I forgiven?"

Riko pouted again. "I still don't get why you can't just heal me. I don't wanna stay in this stupid hospital again."

"Sweetie, I already told you we're letting the professionals do their jobs."

"But you are a professional healer!"

Karina rose a brow. "I don't know where you got that idea. I'm not near as good as Korra or-" She stopped herself from saying the late waterbender's name in fear of triggering her girlfriend. Karina looked to the bandages that surrounded the girl's head and protected her eye still. "Besides, I don't think even waterbending can heal blindness."

Riko sighed. "Great, look who's back."

Karina looked around confusedly. "Ummm…" Then Kohaku and Nami returned with snacks. Karina glared at her girlfriend. "You're not supposed to use your earthbending."

Riko smirked and laid back in the sheets. "Sorry, can't help it. It's kind of a second nature by now."

Kohaku blinked with a mouthful of chips stuffed in his mouth. "Did we miss something?"

Karina huffed and rolled her eyes. "What took so long?"

"Ummm…" Kohaku stuffed more chips in his mouth. "We couldn't figure out what chips to get."

Nami held up an armful of mini bags of chips. "So we got one of each!"

Riko smiled and took a bag. "Awesome!"

Karina slapped her forehead. "You kids are so frivolous."

The kids happily ate their chips. It wasn't like there was anything else they could do in the meantime anyway.

Suddenly Riko perked up. "Mom's here!"

Her siblings jumped up in excitement to greet their mother. Riko climbed out of the cot with Karina's help, even though the girl was glaring at her again for using her sensory ability. Riko shrugged her shoulders good-naturedly.

Asami walked in Riko's room followed by her doctor just to get ambushed by her two youngest. She laughed and returned their giddy hugs. She looked up and saw Riko trying to walk over to her with Karina's help. The girl's balance was obviously still was messed up. She wavered over and Asami ran to catch her before she fell.

"Riko! What're you doing out of bed?!" Riko smiled as she hugged her mother tight. She nuzzled into her chest and sighed. Asami gave a content smile and wrapped her arms around the girl. "It's good to see you too, sweetie. C'mon." Asami led her back to the bed.

Asami and Karina sat next to her bed and Kohaku and Nami sat on the couch beside the window. There was still plenty of space for another bed in the room. The doctor walked over and greeted the family. He checked Riko's vitals and everything before putting on gloves. Riko glared at the man. Doctors weren't good and this one was putting on gloves, which to Riko equaled bad news.

"Riko, I'm going to have to remove the bandages to see where your recovery is at." He said. How much recovery could she have made just overnight?! Either way, the man began unwrapping the bandages. The pad covering her eye fell as he pulled the last of it away; all of which were blotched with blood.

Riko gritted her teeth as the man poked around her wound. He mumbled to himself as he inspected it. Blood still seeped through her stitches. He dabbed a gauze on it to catch the blood. He left it there and grabbed a tiny flashlight. He gently touched her eyebrow and pulled to open her eye more. "I need you to look straight ahead, darling."

Riko complied with a growl as the doctor flashed the light in her eye. It was still red and splotchy and wasn't dilating correctly. The doctor frowned. He gently poked the center of her eye with his finger. Riko immediately recoiled and growled at the man. "Oh good! You can still feel!"

Her growl lowered as she understood what the man was getting at. "I'm not going blind. I can still see."

The man held his hand up and Riko already knew what he was going to ask. "How many fing-"

"So what I can't tell how many fingers you're holding up?! My sight will come back just like last time!"

Asami's heart suddenly fell. What if it didn't come back? Last time was different. Riko couldn't have another setback like that.

"You're right." Everyone stared at the doctor in surprise. "I believe your eyesight will return and you'll be able to see just like normal again."

Riko smiled wide while Asami began to glare at the man. He better not be just saying that to make them feel better.

The doctor chuckled and held his hand up to her in dismissal. "Let me explain, Mrs. Sato. Riko didn't have an eye injury. She had a traumatic head injury. And while, yes, head injuries can be extremely dangerous, I don't believe it's affected her vision. I got the whole story from the Chief-of-Police. She received a very sharp water-whip to the temple. Had that shot been any lower, I do believe young Riko here would have lost her sight."

Riko's smile disappeared and her gut fell. She _almost_ lost her eyesight.

"In other words, she's _lucky._ A few more inches over and…"

Silence erupted in the room.

"So she'll be fine?" Asami asked quietly.

"Yes, I do believe so." He smiled gently. "Riko should make a full recovery."

Riko's eyes shaded and she sat up abruptly. "Riko?" Karina asked. The girl slid from the bed and stumbled towards the door. "Riko!" Asami and Karina caught her as her legs gave out from under her.

"What about Korra? Let me see her." Riko demanded.

"Riko, just because he says you're going to make a full recovery doesn't mean you should push yourself still!" Karina exclaimed.

They dragged her back into the bed. She was already beginning to tire out.

"You didn't even let me finish speaking." The doctor said jokingly. He grabbed fresh bandages and began rewrapping her wound. "The young lady is right. Just because you think you'll make a recovery doesn't mean you should push yourself. You still have a dangerous head injury. I know you've had one before, so you know you have to rest a lot to heal." Riko huffed in mock anger. He tied the last bandage together. "And since you're still having vision problems, we need to work on treating that as well. When you were injured, much of the blood flooded into your eye, that's why your vision is weak. We're going to start treatment to clean it out. With time your vision should return."

Riko ignored the man for a minute. "…What about Korra?"

The man sighed. "Your mother is doing well. She's resting now. We managed to heal some of the burns. She's staying with the burn unit for 24 hours until we're sure it's not too serious. But both of you two are staying in the hospital for a few days still."

Riko scowled. "Where's she gonna go after those 24 hours?"

Asami smiled. "They're gonna bring her here to stay in this room with you."

Riko turned around abruptly. "Really?! Awesome! *cough* I mean not that she's injured, but…"

Asami chuckled and ruffled her hair like she does, making Riko pout. "I know what you mean, hun."

* * *

Korra smiled as they rolled her bed into Riko's room early the next morning. The Sun was just starting to peak through the blinds, but Korra couldn't stand being away from her daughter and demanded that they bring her there sooner. The girl was passed out and snoring loudly. One hand cradled her head and the other was wrapped around the waterbender that occupied the bed with her. She was huddled into Riko's side and had wrapped her arms around her. It was such a wonderful scene that Korra wished Asami was there with her camera.

The nurse made sure she was comfortable before leaving. Korra looked over and watched her daughter sleep peacefully. Though the side of her face was bandaged, the girl seemed mostly uninjured. Her girlfriend smiled in her sleep and hugged her tighter.

A mouse-like sound from the door disrupted her thoughts and she looked to find the cause of it. She smiled when she saw the jet black hair of her wife. Asami covered her mouth to stop herself from speaking. She hesitantly walked over and saw down with her.

"You're here early." She whispered.

Korra smiled in response. The Sun began to get brighter and shone directly on the young couple beside them.

"Ngh…" A bright light awoke Riko. She felt someone hugging her waist and smiled to see Karina there with her still. She felt someone else in the room and looked around. "Mom?!" She nearly fell from the bed in surprise had it not been for Karina waking up to catch her. Riko gulped as her face almost met the floor and thanked her girlfriend.

Asami giggled. "Good morning, girls."

Riko slid from the bed and Karina helped her over to her mother's side. She almost went in for a hug, but then stopped herself when she remembered her injuries. She sat beside her and tentatively grabbed both of her mothers' hands. Asami smiled and kissed her cheek. Korra happily squeezed her hand harder in response.

"How're you feeling, badgermole?" Korra asked.

Riko smirked. "I should be asking you that, ma."

"Psh, I'm fine." Korra couldn't hold her smirk in. "I got burned."

Asami rolled her eyes. "Yep, you certainly are fine if you can crack jokes still. Maybe they didn't hit you hard enough. Can't you be a little more serious? You're injuries are."

Korra sighed. "You're no fun."

Asami gave her a strict glare. Korra became nervous as she began to lean in to her ear. "Try telling me that when we're in bed."

Asami pulled away with a nasty smirk and Korra had a huge blush on her face. Riko acted like nothing was going on, though she really didn't hear what Asami said. She was used to this kind of behavior sometimes.

Korra coughed to diffuse the blush on her face. "Well, uh, if we're being serious, I can tell you what happened."

"Oh I know what happened, from both Lin and Riko. But go ahead and tell your side."

"Hey! I was the first one on the scene!"

"Why was that, Korra?"

Riko could feel tension building for some unknown reason. She staggered back to her bed with Karina to watch whatever was about to unfold.

"I don't know! I was just doing my routine street walk when the whole gang burst through the bank!"

"So you had to get involved?"

"Well, yeah! I am the Avatar, remember?"

Riko grabbed one of the many bags of chips from the day before and began chomping on some.

"You shouldn't always have to be the Avatar."

"I'm doing my best."

"Yeah, and where did it get you? In the hospital!" Asami huffed and crossed her arms. "Damn it, Korra, what were you thinking?! You were all by yourself!"

"Lin showed up soon afterwards!"

"With me." Riko quietly spoke up. She immediately regretted it as both women glared at her. Neither were still happy about Lin's decision to bring her along.

Asami turned back to her wife. "All I'm saying is maybe you should've stalled for more time."

"What do you think I was doing?! I knew I couldn't take them all on! There was like 30 of them!"

Asami pinched the bridge of her nose. "I just wish you weren't always in danger. Riko too." She said, her voice being lighter.

Riko rose a brow. "Me?"

"Yes, you." Asami got up from her seat and stood in front of Riko. "Do you even realize how many times you've been in danger since we took you in?"

Riko's brow remained raised. "Um, Asami, I was injured a lot more often when I was living in the wilds. This is nothing."

"It shouldn't be like that, though!" Riko and Korra frowned with realization. Asami slapped a fist to her head. "I'm tired of two of the most important people in my life always putting their lives on the line! I can't afford to lose anyone else!"

Suddenly Asami was tackled in a hug by Riko and they fell onto Korra's bed. Korra painfully sat up and wrapped her arms around Asami's waist from behind, revealing her bandaged body. Asami squeezed her eyes shut, forcing tears to escape and roll down her cheeks.

"I just love you two so much. I don't know what I'd do without you." Asami cried.

At this point, both Riko and Korra were teary-eyed as well.

"I'm sorry, mom. I love you." Riko said, muffled by Asami's shirt.

Korra nuzzled into Asami's back. "I'm sorry too, Asami. I love you so much. We'll try to slow down."

Asami suddenly pulled both of them into her grasp. "No. I appreciate the thought, but I know that's just who you are. It'll always work out in the end. I trust you."


	24. Chapter 20

Asami held up her glass towards the crowd. "I'd like to thank everyone for coming out tonight to support my family and I. Things really have been looking up for us-"

 **Footage pauses and the view pans out to a fancy, yet empty theatre room. Nami jumps up from Asami's lap and braces herself onto the chair cushions. "Whoa whoa whoa, hold up author! I think you're skipping a few parts before we get to this scene!"**

 **Like what?**

 **"** **Well I can't say exactly because that would spoil the chapter wouldn't it? But you know what I'm talking about!"**

 **Yeah yeah, I know what you're talking about. Sigh. Okay. REWIND THE FOOTAGE!**

* * *

Riko laid in bed rather depressed one evening. Karina emerged from the bathroom in her pajamas and frowned when she saw Riko's back turned to her. She sighed. Riko and Korra had been released from the hospital a few days ago, but they were still lacking their old sense of freedom. That was something Asami was afraid of. Any kind of new setback could hurt Riko mentally. The girl's vision was still blurry, bringing on new frustration. On the other hand, Korra was handling it exceptionally well. The peace of taking a much needed break was good for her.

Karina climbed into the bed and huddled up to Riko's backside. Riko tensed up at first but then eased up when Karina began rubbing her back comfortably.

"Sorry." Riko said with her back to her still.

Karina huffed and wrapped her arms around her to pull the girl over to face her. She noted the earthbender's lack of emotion on her face when she faced her. The girl averted her dull eyes, one of which was still blotchy and red. Karina rubbed her cheek and gently kissed her bandaged forehead. "It's okay."

Riko leaned into her touch. Suddenly an idea popped into Karina's head. She grabbed the hem of Riko's shirt, motioning her to take the article of clothing off. Riko began to smile slightly at the thought of what was to come. Karina then nudged Riko to roll back over and the girl complied with confusion written on her face. Once she was on her stomach, Karina pulled her own shirt off, climbed onto her backside, and pulled water from the basin beside the bed.

Riko planted the good side of her face to the pillow when she felt the pleasure of a waterbending massage. She sighed in content and couldn't hold in her moan when Karina hit a tense muscle. The waterbender smiled at the sounds that came from Riko. She rubbed harder on her tense shoulder blades.

"Feeling better now, babe?"

Karina smirked at the response of an eager head nod. She leaned down and kissed the back of her neck, making her shiver. Riko attempted to lift herself up but Karina drew closer to her, pressing her chest down onto her back, and grabbed ahold of her wrists. Riko groaned as the cold water was released and hit her bare skin.

"Let me take care of you." Karina coerced.

A growl emerged from the back of Riko's throat as Karina's kisses began trailing down her back. Karina eventually let go of her wrists. Riko clutched the pillow as Karina continued the sensual massage.

At some point, Riko turned over defiantly. Karina was ready to pounce on her until she saw the sad look on Riko's face.

"What's wrong, Riko? Do you not like it? I can stop–"

"What's really going on?" Riko demanded.

Karina blinked and drew back. "What do you mean?"

"It feels like you're hiding something from me." Riko replied.

Karina sighed and hung her head. "I was trying to hold off on telling you, but there's no hiding from you." Riko waited to hear whatever she had to say. "I have to go back to the South Pole…"

"What…?" Riko breathed out.

"I'm sorry! I should've told you sooner. Chief Tonraq needs me to help prepare for the rough winter coming." Karina said.

Riko jumped up. "What the hell?! Korra can tell him he can wait! Hell, _I_ can tell him to wait! He's my grandfather! Oof!"

Riko was pushed into the cushions. Karina slammed her palms into Riko's shoulders to stop her outrage. "Stop." That single word left the earthbender breathless. "I'm needed back home, and there's nothing you can do about it. While I'm here, _let me take care of you._ " Karina leaned in to her neck as she spoke the last few words.

Riko's breath hitched as the waterbender's lips met her neck. Her head rolled back uncontrollably, giving Karina more room. Karina grabbed ahold of her waist and reclaimed her seat on her hips. Riko finally gained enough sense to allow her hands to explore Karina's body. Karina suddenly bit down on her neck, forcing a cry from Riko. She pulled the tan woman closer to her, crushing their half-naked bodies together.

Karina giggled into her neck and wrapped her arms around her upper half. One hand ventured into her hair, massaging her scalp the way she liked it. "Someone's excited."

Riko couldn't stop the smirk from appearing on her lips. "With a beauty like you in my lap, who wouldn't be?"

Karina blushed at the unprecedented compliment. Riko chuckled and leaned up to peck her on the lips. She held herself up on her hands, keeping just a few inches away from the waterbender. Karina stared into Riko's eyes, both of which were functioning normally again. She sighed and hesitantly laid a hand to Riko's forehead. She gently pulled the bandage up to show her stitched up gash.

"Umm, babe? What're you doing?" Riko asked.

Karina sighed. "I'm taking care of you."

"But I thought we agreed to let the professionals handle this one."

"I know, but…" Karina bit her lip. "I want to help you in any way that I can before I leave."

Karina pulled the water from the soaking sheets and it circled Riko's head before focusing on her forehead. Riko stared in awe, and then close her eyes as she felt the healing power of waterbending. The wound healed some and Karina pulled away. She pulled the bandage back down to protect the wound. Riko smiled and hugged Karina close. The older girl hugged her back and pulled her closer to rest her head on her shoulder. They sighed and just held each other for a few minutes.

Karina gently ushered Riko to lay back down. Riko smiled and rested her arms over the other's shoulders. Karina laid her hands on the other's waist. They giggled as their lips met once again. Riko pulled her closer, causing their breasts to press together. Soon moans began to fill the room again, but in a more sensual manner.

Things were beginning to really heat up when they heard someone running towards their room. Riko pulled away from Karina's mouth and yanked the covers up to shield them from view. The door was yanked open and there stood Kohaku. He began spouting nonsense about his training before he realized the situation he walked into.

"And Mako tried to show me the fire spin move but I'm so much more advanced that that!" He cut himself off when he looked up and saw the two girls in a compromising position. Their clothes littered the floor.

Riko gave him a stern 'I am going to kill you but later' look. She held Karina close to her. "Don't you dare tell our mothers." Riko growled at the boy at her door.

A wild smirk crawled onto Kohaku's face, but then he sighed in defeat. "Ya know, I thought about it for a second, just to see their reactions. But I don't think they'd care too much. You're 18. You're an adult. So whatever." He shrugged his shoulders and quietly shut the door on his way out.

Riko continued growling even after he disappeared. Karina grabbed either side of her face and forced her to look at her. "He's gone. He's not gonna talk. Let's just get back to what we were doing." She inched closer and closer to her lips as she talked and placed her lips on Riko's again. Riko sighed in content and ran her fingers through Karina's hair.

* * *

Riko felt the wood of the port docks under her feet. A single tear escaped through her good eye. Karina lifted her head to look at her and wiped away the tear. "I'll be back before too long, hun. It's just for two months at the least."

Riko pulled away from Karina's hands and hung her head. Karina stubbornly pulled Riko back into her arms. "Don't make this difficult." She then placed her hands on her cheeks. Riko continued to frown sadly. "Please smile for me. I won't be able to leave without seeing that smile one more time."

"Then don't leave." Riko replied.

Karina sighed and hugged her. Riko returned the hug with enthusiasm. Karina sorrowfully pulled away. She ran her fingers through Riko's short hair before laying her lips on hers. When they pulled away, Riko had managed a slight smile. Karina smiled wide and kissed her on her bandaged forehead.

"Thank you, baby."

They hugged once more and then Karina started the painful trek towards the ship. Riko took two steps after her and stared. Loud heels could be heard approaching. Asami wrapped her arms around her daughter to prevent her from chasing after Karina. Riko leaned back to look at her and a new tear escaped her eye.

Asami began pulling her back to the car. "C'mon, sweetie, let's head back home."

* * *

Asami looked over the edge of her book to glimpse at her daughter. The girl was asleep in the other loveseat, curling over the arm of the chair, in the otherwise empty library. Asami sighed. Her daughter had been keeping close to her and even asked if she could help with Korra. Even though the first few days without Karina were rough, it seemed that Riko was okay now, though she was staying close to Asami.

Asami gently sat up and rubbed Riko's back. The girl sleepily picked up her head in response.

"C'mon Riko, let's go to bed."

Riko stumbled up with Asami's help and they left the library. At the intersection where the halls split, Riko hesitated to continue. Asami stopped. "What's wrong?"

"Um…" Riko was uncertain about her request. Asami laid a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "I-I was wondering… C-Can I sleep in your room tonight?"

Asami blinked, but then gave a warm smile. "Of course, sweetie."

Before you argue with me saying 'Oh Riko's 18 though! No 18-year old sleeps with their mommy!' Let me stop you right there. Riko grew up without her parents. She's been through multiple life-threatening situations. She's developed a mental illness. Think about it. Asami and Korra were the first ones to step up and help her by taking her in. They've always been the ones there for her when she needed it. Now, that Karina has left, she feels alone again, but knows that her mothers are there for her.

When the door opened and light emerged from the entrance, Korra lifted her head to see who it was. She smiled as Asami appeared. The woman crawled into bed up to Korra's good side and held her hand. They smiled until they noticed a shadow standing in the doorway.

Riko hesitated and held her arm in nervousness. Asami motioned her forward. She cautiously made her way to the bed. Korra smiled. No words were spoken. She didn't need to ask why Riko was staying with them tonight. She just knew that Riko needed them at the moment and Korra would always be by her side.

* * *

Riko huffed as Asami tied the bow around her neck. All the while, Asami was trying to hold in her laughter. "Mommmmm!" Riko groaned in annoyance.

A few muffled laughs escaped. "I'm sorry, Riko! You're just so cute!"

"I don't get why you're even doing this."

"This how I get new business. We've talked about this, Riko. Besides, it's the Avatar festival! You and Korra have finally recovered and you could use some fun!"

Riko groaned again in response. Yeah the duo had healed within the past two months, but that didn't change the fact that they both despised Asami's social events. Karina was still in the South Pole as well, so Riko was without her. The waterbender said in her last letter that she might have to stay in the South longer than expected. The winter was stronger than anticipated and food was beginning to get sparse. Tonraq wouldn't let his people go hungry, though, and had been ordering more supplies through the Earth Kingdom.

Kohaku and Nami appeared dressed up in the doorway of Riko's room also trying to contain their laughter. Riko saw them out of the corner of her eye and growled loudly so that they could hear her anger. They laughed and ran away. Riko attempted to get up, but Asami shoved her back down onto her bed.

"You're not going to chase them around the house and ruin everything I've worked hard to get ready! Now sit."

Riko mumbled curses while her mother prepared her for the evening. The woman squeezed gel from a bottle and began lathering up Riko's hair, causing her to groan loudly in annoyance. "Mommmm."

"Settle down, Riko! You're gonna look nice for tonight." Asami said as she began styling the girl's hair to one side, which then spiked up on the front. Riko continued to groan. She hated being pampered. She looked at her mother. The woman was wearing a sparkling ruby red dress that came just to her knees. Her make-up wasn't on yet, though. She had a lot to finalize before the guests arrived in a few hours.

Riko walked past her mothers' room expecting to hear Korra complaining about the evening, but she heard no such thing. Instead, Korra and Asami seemed to be having a pleasant talk about supposed guests to come. Riko pouted. Korra was used to dressing for the occasion. Of course, she's the Avatar, she has to look prim and proper for such occasions.

Riko scoffed and went to search for her brother and sister. She found them in one of the random lounging rooms scattered across the mansion. With them stood Mako and Bolin. They probably came early to help set up. They looked quite handsome in their suits, though. As Riko sauntered over to them, she adjusted the single bandage taped to her forehead to protect her wound. The stitches had long since been removed, leaving the injury to heal on its own. Most of it was scabbed over now.

Riko felt someone else approaching them and smiled. The newcomer smacked down her hand away from her wound. "Stop messing with it or it will never heal."

"Well hello to you too Chief." Riko replied with a smile. "What are you all doing here so early?"

Lin scoffed. "I'm here to make sure you three kids don't ruin anything ahead of time. I don't know what Mako and Bolin are here for though."

Bolin perked up. "Oh! We're here to help set up tables and stuff! Right Mako?"

Mako nodded his head. "Yep."

Riko smirked at Lin. Lin sighed, bracing herself for whatever the kid was about to throw at her. "So, the Chief of Police is like, what, our babysitter for the night?"

Lin's face immediately turned red with rage. Mako and Bolin both went wide-eyed and snuck away to avoid Lin's wrath.

"I am not a babysitter." Lin said, trying to control her anger.

Riko continued to smirk. "Really? Because it sure sounds like you're babysitting us, even though I'm almost 19. Hmm, I wonder what would happen if I ventured into the kitchen right now."

Lin grabbed the girl's collar before she even took two steps. "You really are a troublemaker, aren't you?"

"I guess that's why Asami asked you to watch us for now. But geez, asking the Chief of Police was really pulling out the big guns."

Lin chuckled. "You kids tend to require big guns to control all three of you simultaneously."

Riko smiled. "Well you look nice tonight Chief." She meant it in earnest. Lin was clad in black dress pants and boots. She wore a white blouse with a black tie.

Lin smiled back. "Thank you, squirt. You look quite nice yourself."

Riko giggled and blushed a bit. She was wearing a white button-up dress shirt with a green velvet vest overtop. She also wore black pants and shoes. Kohaku matched her except his vest was a deep red and he had a hat and Nami was in a sparkling sapphire dress.

Riko then sighed and looked away slightly. "Too bad Karina isn't here."

Lin laid a hand on her shoulder. "Make sure to save the outfit for a special occasion when she returns. I know she'd love it."

"Thanks Lin." Riko replied with a slight smile.

Lin turned to guide the kids downstairs. "Alright, well let's go see if we can help the boys-" She paused when she saw that the room was missing two other bodies. She turned to Riko with a glare, but the girl smiled nervously. "Where'd they go?"

"You really must be getting old, Lin. You should've noticed them sneaking away. I wasn't about to stop them." Riko replied. She backed up and when Lin stepped closer to her in rage, Riko took off running throughout the building.

"Riko!"

* * *

Kohaku stuck his head out from under the table and greedily took a handful of cookies from one of the plentiful trays on the dinner table. He plopped back under the table and shared his stash with Nami. They heard someone stomping towards them and braced themselves. They let out a sigh of relief as they heard Mako and Bolin walking past arguing about seating arrangements.

"Hey you two." The duo jumped and slid across the floor. They let out another relieved sigh as they saw that it was just Riko that crawled under the table with them.

"Damn, you scared us." Kohaku said with a hand over his heart.

Riko smacked him on the back of the head. "Ow!"

"I told you to stop cursing. Now hand over a cookie."

"What about Lin?" Nami asked.

Riko smirked. "Oh I lost her upstairs a few minutes ago. We're fine."

"Aren't you kind of defying your teacher?" Kohaku asked with a smirk.

Riko scoffed. "Oh please. She needs the fun now and then." She paused and placed her hand to the floor. Someone was approaching the table, clearly with a purpose. She put a finger to her lips to tell her siblings to be quiet. They waited as whoever it was adjusted some things on the table and walked away. The trio collectively let out a sigh of relief. Then someone yanked up one end of the table cloth, startling all three of them.

"Hmm, looks like I'm not the only one who's losing her touch."

Screams erupted in the dining hall and cookies crumbled to the floor as the teenagers took off running from under the table and Lin chased after them.

Riko couldn't help the smile from reaching her face as she dashed throughout the house. Lin ran closely behind, literally hauling her two younger siblings under each of her arms. "Run, Riko!" "She's carrying us and she's still gaining on you!"

Riko glanced behind her. Lin was closing in on her. Suddenly the girl tripped up on something. As she was falling, she saw a tiny earth block that Lin had bended sticking up out of the floor. She growled and rolled over, but Lin immediately stomped on her chest to stop her.

Riko smirked. "Guess I'm caught, huh?"

Kohaku crossed his arms. "Good going, sis."

* * *

Riko grumbled in her cushioned seat as high royals pondered through the massive ball room. Her siblings chuckled at her, but they weren't having much fun either. These social gatherings weren't all of that fun, but the younger two usually liked such events. Lin had left them to themselves some time ago, knowing that they were just trying to have fun with her earlier.

Riko sighed. If Karina was here then this would be a lot more fun. Maybe they would've danced together. Or just sat off to themselves and chatted. Maybe have a few drinks and slip away from the party for the night. Who knows…?

A waiter came over and offered the teenagers a tray of mini-hotdogs. Kohaku greedily took the whole tray from the man. Nami nibbled on a few while the boy devoured them. She looked over and saw that Riko was lost in her thoughts and that her sadness was seeping through again. She offered the snack to her sister. Riko glanced up and thankfully took a mini-dog from her sister. The earthbender shook her head of her thoughts and got up in search of the bar.

Lin sipped a drink and leaned against a windowsill next to the bar. She saw the young earthbender waltz up to the bartender and order a drink. She sighed and made her way over.

Riko shook the liquid in the glass, contemplating whether or not she really wanted to drink tonight. A hand laid on her shoulder and she saw Lin sit next to her. They sat silently in each other's presence. Riko still hadn't taken a drink yet. Lin grabbed her hand and gently pushed the drink away from her.

"You're better than that, Riko." Lin said.

Riko sighed and shamefully looked away. "I know."

"Then why do it?"

"What else can I do?"

"Is this how you've been getting by?"

Riko hung her head more and grimaced. Lin saw the girl's pain and gripped her hand tighter. "Please, dear spirits, don't go down that path, Riko. I've seen people destroy their lives drinking."

Riko interrupted. "I'm not drinking."

Lin blinked. "Oh, uh, good."

"I mean I tried a few times, but I don't like the hangovers."

Lin chuckled. "That's good, Riko. I'm glad you're not drinking. It can make your depression worse."

Riko let a slight smile through. "Yeah, my counselor told me all about that."

Lin got up and pulled Riko with her. "C'mon, I think Asami is getting ready to start her speech for her audience."

Riko chuckled at Lin's sarcasm.

* * *

Asami stood atop the stairs that oversaw the room below. Her red dress sparkled from the chandelier lights above. She motioned her wife to come to her side. Korra smiled in her black and blue tuxedo suit. She stepped next to the CEO and wrapped an arm around her waist, making Asami giggle.

Asami clanked a fork to her wine glass to catch everyone's attention. The wealthy crowd silenced and looked up to her.

Riko saw her brother and sister waiting by the stone pillars and leaned against the pillar with them. Lin contently stood a few feet away.

Asami saw her children in the distance and smiled at them, which seemed to brighten their moods immediately as they smiled back, even Riko. It was difficult to see the CEO during such events.

Asami cleared her throat before speaking and held her glass towards the crowd. "I'd like to thank everyone for coming out tonight to support my family and I. Things really have been looking up for us in the past few months. It has been a wonderful night. However, I would not be here without my family, and I'd like to take the time to appreciate them. I want to thank my beautiful wife Korra for always sticking by my side, even when I spend countless nights in the office." The crowd chuckled at the remark. Then they 'awwed' as Korra kissed Asami on the cheek, making her blush.

Asami giggled before continuing. "I want to thank my children for always brightening my day and bringing such joy to mine and Korra's life. They are such a blessing and I wouldn't change anything about our family."

All three of the kids blushed at such words and some of the crowd smiled at them. Asami spoke on. "Riko, the oldest of them, has been through so much lately and I just want her to know how proud I am of her for recovering."

Riko tried to play it cool and just leaned on the stone pillar, but Kohaku pushed her and Nami giggled at her older siblings. Riko caught herself and smirked as she adjusted the bandage on her forehead.

The crowd turned back to the CEO as she spoke up again. "I know it is time of the Avatar festival, but I have good news I wish to commemorate this evening to as well. Many of you have been wondering when and who I'll choose as the successor of Future Industries." She sighed. "I'm not anywhere near ready to step down yet. I hope to have many, many more years as CEO. However, I have come to a decision about who I'll leave my company to…"

The crowd grew silent as they waited to hear an answer. Lin watched the teenagers to see their (probably awful) reactions to this news. The teens all rose their brows. Successor? Their mother hadn't even talked to them about this. Where was this coming from?!

Korra rubbed her wife's back and Asami released her breath. She spoke again. "I spent a lot of time thinking about this. It wasn't an easy decision, but… I've decided to let Nami, my youngest daughter, to be my successor."

The entire crowd immediately turned and stared at the teenagers, all of whom had gone wide-eyed. Some people cheer, while others gasp. Why? Because the oldest child is supposed to be the legitimate successor.

Riko then glared at her younger sister and stomped away, wanting to escape the scrutinizing looks. Kohaku scowled and hesitated to follow her, but he did.

Nami eventually smiled and greeted people around her who congratulated her. Lin instantly came up behind her to act as her guard, because the older two teens had already stormed off and left their sister.

The married couple saw their two oldest children skulk away from the party scene. They looked at each other with worry. Asami sighed. She expected them to be upset with her decision, but it still broke her heart to see them react like that. Luckily, Lin had taken to Nami's side as her guard, unlike her own siblings.

'Sigh. They're supposed to be there for each other. I hope I didn't make a horrible mistake…'


	25. Chapter 21

Riko stomped down the hallway with Kohaku on her tail. If the girl could firebend, she'd be breathing fire right now. She curled her fists, trying to withhold her anger. Kohaku laid a hand on her shoulder, but she shook it off.

"If you wanna go celebrate with Nami then be my guest. I don't want anyone's sympathy." Riko said.

"I'm just as upset as you are." Kohaku replied. Riko glared at him. "*cough* Maybe not as furious, but I understand."

Riko huffed in frustration. "She's not even 12!"

"I don't think age mattered in this decision. Nami's mature for her age. You're almost 19 and you still act like a kid sometimes." Kohaku replied.

"Do you really want to go there right now? Because I don't think you do." Riko answered back angrily.

Kohaku raised his hands in surrender and stopped walking. Riko stormed off without her brother. Just as she reached the end of the hallway, she felt something odd. Kohaku saw her stop and went up to her cautiously.

"What it is?" He asked.

She faced him with irritation clearly written on her face. "There's an intruder."

* * *

Asami and Korra watched as Nami was congratulated by almost everyone in the room. Lin was standing with her as her guard so they felt comfortable with the situation. However, they were concerned that Riko and Kohaku hadn't stuck around for the rest of the party.

Lin kept an eye on the hallway that the two older teens went to, expecting them to come back any minute now, but it had been 20 minutes. Surely Riko would've calmed down by now. Something wasn't right.

Lin looked over to Korra and Asami, hoping to get their attention. Korra saw Lin eyeing them as they were walking back down the stairs and hurriedly pulled Asami over to her.

"What's wrong, Lin?" Korra asked.

"I think something's up. The other two haven't returned yet."

Asami spoke dejectedly. "They probably went back to their rooms to get away from us."

"Maybe, but something just feels off to me."

"Go find them then." Korra spoke up, looking directly at Lin. "If you feel that something is off then I'd listen to your gut feeling and go find them. We've got Nami."

Lin nodded and walked into the hall that they'd gone down.

As she followed more of their path, she felt something happening through the soles of her feet. A scuffle of some sorts. Were Riko and Kohaku fighting each other? Lin concentrated harder. No, they weren't fighting each other. There was a third person!

Lin took off running after them.

* * *

Riko perched around the corner, inspecting the room that she felt the intruder in. Kohaku stood behind her, waiting for her order. A shadow appeared in the glass window of Asami's office door. Someone was trying to steal something from Asami; probably blueprints or other important documents.

Riko crept to the side of the door and her brother copied her. She put her hand on the floor and concentrated to see exactly what he was doing. The intruder appeared to be going through all of the drawers and bookshelves haphazardly, unsuccessful to find whatever he was looking for.

She looked directly at her brother and counted down before completely busting down the door. Riko and Kohaku stood in fighting position. The intruder turned and got into position as well. He was dressed in civilian-like clothes except for the black mask covering his face.

"Who are you?" Riko demanded.

The man ignored her and shot a blast of fire directly at her. Kohaku immediately jumped in front of her and used his firebending to dissipate the opposing fire. The man then ran past them, though. Riko released a growl and ran after him and Kohaku followed closely behind.

As they were running, the intruder turned and rocketed fire at them. The teens easily dodged it, though. The man seemed shook up and continued running. Riko glanced over to her brother. That look alone let Kohaku know the game plan.

Riko ran ahead and cornered the man as they were rounding a corner. She tackled the man into the wall and they tumbled down to the ground. The man got up quite quickly and Riko had to backflip to avoid a crushing dropkick. Then they exchanged hits for a minute.

When the man aimed a punch at Riko's face, intentionally going for her old injury, Riko dropped back to dodge it. Then, Kohaku jumped over her and punched the intruder away with a smirk on his face.

Fighting together like this felt good.

They both jumped on him and held him down while searching him for anything he had stolen.

* * *

Lin hurried down the hall until she came to Asami's office. The door was hanging from its hinges and the frame was seared a little bit.

She turned and ran in the direction the fight was coming from. She could feel that Riko and Kohaku were working together to take down whoever it was. The double-teaming was quite efficient, too.

When she finally rounded the last corner, she sighed as she saw the duo wrestling to hold down the intruder. Riko finally pulled out blueprints from the inside of his jacket.

"Hah! You did steal something! Fess up!" Riko exclaimed.

"N-No! I didn't do it!" He yelled.

Lin came around them with handcuffs and pulled the man away. The kids eyed her as she cuffed the man and read him his rights. She sat him against the wall and finally approached the teens.

"You two okay? Are you hurt?" Lin asked.

Riko scowled. "Took you long enough. We're fine. We weren't hurt by him at least."

Lin sighed and sent Kohaku to fetch their parents.

* * *

"Oh spirits, are you okay?!" Asami exclaimed as she placed both hands on Riko's face.

However, Riko pulled away roughly. "I'm fine, Asami."

Asami's breath hitched when Riko spoke. Something was wrong. "No you're not. What's wrong?"

"Like you care." She replied. She pushed through her family and stomped to the end of the hallway. She turned to face her parents. "Some successor she'll be. She can't even figure out when there's an intruder in our own home." Riko waited to see their reactions. When she got her answer of shocked looks, she started walking away again. "You're welcome, by the way."

Nami stood around the corner listening to every word. She heard her sister's harsh words and suddenly wasn't so proud of herself anymore.

* * *

The party downstairs slowly died down as the patrons left for the night. Riko sat on the windowsill in her room, with one leg hanging over the ledge. Her arms were crossed as she listened to the guests laugh while they walked to their cars and drove away. The girl had quickly changed out of the ridiculous outfit Asami had picked out once she got to her room and now sat in old training clothes she used as pajamas.

She sat on the ledge for hours, listening to people leave and the sounds of the city. She yearned instead to hear the crickets chirp, the frogs croak, the rustle of a bush as an animal ran through, and to see the glory of the night sky that had escaped from the city.

Someone knocked on the door and tried to open it, but Riko had locked the door. When she heard the person trying to pick the lock, Riko knew who it most likely was and sighed. The door was gently pushed open and the CEO walked in.

"Riko? I know you're in here. Are you okay?" Asami asked. She saw the moonlight coming in through the open window from which her daughter was sitting on, who of which refused to acknowledge her guest.

Asami huffed and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Do you wanna talk about it? I know neither you nor Kohaku were ready for this, and I should apologize."

"Why? You did what was best for your company. Nami was obviously the best choice. You're beginning to teach Nami about cars because Kohaku and I are too high-maintenance. We're fighters, but Nami is smart. I didn't mean what I said earlier. She'll do good." Riko replied, still looking out of the window.

"I'm sorry still." Asami said. Riko continued to stare outside. Her face was soft yet unsettling. Asami followed her gaze to the slight forest in the distance behind their house. "What are you thinking about, hun?"

"I miss the forest, ya know, living off of the land, taking care of myself. My only worries in life were food, water, shelter… Basic living necessities… But then you came along."

"We saved you. You couldn't continue living like that. There's more to life than just living. Besides, you would've died if we hadn't shown up when we did."

"Maybe dying would've been for the best."

Asami grabbed Riko's chin and forced her to look at her. "Don't talk like that."

"Why?" Riko asked calmly, looking directly into Asami's eyes.

"Because I love you. We all love you! You have so much to live for!"

"Tch." Riko slid from the window and walked a few paces around her room. "I don't have anything to live for, Asami. I'm not gonna live here with you my whole life! What do you expect me to do with myself?!"

"You have plenty of choices! Personally, if you want my opinion…" Asami paused, waiting to see if Riko would let her speak, which she did. "I thought that maybe Lin's police force would be a good fit for you."

Riko's eyes widened and she uncrossed her arms. "Really?" She asked, with slight hope escaping through her voice.

"Yes, of course! After you and Korra were injured a few months ago, all Korra would ever talk about was how well you fought and how great it was when you teamed up with her! She said you couldn't stop smiling as long as you were fighting the criminals."

Riko let her mind slip momentarily as she thought back to that day. It had felt so good to fight against those gang members, especially with Korra at her shook her head of her thoughts and began to glare at her mother. "Look, I'm tired from today and I know you are, too. Go round up your party. I'm going to bed."

Riko sat on her bed and waited. Asami frowned and went around to the front to lay a hand on her lap. "Riko, you can talk to me. I know you're really upset with what happened tonight, but I was just doing what was best for all of us."

"Asami, please just leave. I'm asking nicely." Riko said.

"If you don't want to talk to me, then maybe you'd want to talk to Korra. Please just talk to someone!"

"Just leave me alone!" Riko demanded.

Asami saw the pained look on her face and granted her wish by leaving.

A few tears escaped and Riko held onto the choked sob trying to break free. Asami listened from the other side with her back to the door as the girl eventually broke down. A sigh came from the CEO and she hung her head. What could she do?

* * *

Another month flew by and Riko had since pushed herself away from her family. Riko was going through that phase yet again where she isolated herself from everyone. She wouldn't come to dinner. She wouldn't train with Lin or Korra or Kohaku. She completely stopped any contact with her younger sister. Much contact with Asami was limited, too.

Riko convinced herself that she was being what they call an 'adult.' She tried to deal with her problems on her own and she didn't want anyone's help. If she could afford to get her own place without Asami's money, she would've already moved out.

* * *

Riko maneuvered around the room, aiming punches at the tethered up punching bag. Sweat was starting to stain her training shorts and sports bra. Sweat glistened on her abs. Bandages covered her forearms and protected her knuckles from her hard hits. A bandana was tied around her forehead, hiding her battle scar from sight.

She continued hitting the bag, trying to release her stress. A click from the gym door sounded and Riko glanced over to see who it was. Immediately Riko regretted not using her earthbending to keep track off everyone. She stopped punishing the helpless bag and glared at her guest.

"What do you want?" She asked.

The raven-haired woman stalked over to her. "You've been coming in here every morning for a while now. Is everything okay?"

Riko growled as the woman towered over her. It was moments like this that reminded Riko how short she really was, much like Korra. But she didn't want to admit something was wrong, either.

She turned away from her mother. "I'm fine." She ventured over to the weights and sat down on the bench to do arm curls. She kept glaring at her mother.

"Maybe I can help." Asami said.

Riko was starting to bare her teeth. "How's that?"

"You're obviously trying to release some pent up emotions, but you won't talk to anyone. So how about a sparring match? How does me being your punching bag sound?" Asami said. It was then that Riko noticed that the woman had come in there completely aware of what she was doing because she was clad in training clothes.

Either way, a devious smirk crawled onto Riko's face. She dropped the weight carelessly and stood up. "You're not seriously gonna just allow me to use you as a punching bag, are you?"

Asami laughed. "Well, no, but I thought it would spark your interest. I'll definitely still put up a fight somewhat. So?"

"You're on." Riko answered and stood opposite of her on the sparring mat.

Asami couldn't help the smirk that came onto her face as well and the two got into position.

Asami motioned her to go first. Riko couldn't stop smirking. She ran across the mat and aimed a punch at her. Asami easily dodged and swiveled to her backside. She threw a punch, but Riko ducked without even looking. They traded punches for a few minutes.

Asami tried to lay her out by kicking her legs out from under her, but Riko jumped over her leg to dodge it. Riko kicked towards her face, but Asami caught it and spun her around and threw her onto the mat.

Riko quickly got back on her feet and growled. She hadn't expected that, even though the CEO was well-trained in martial arts. They started punching and kicking again, both dodging each other's moves.

Riko threw a punch meant to hit Asami in her beautiful little face, but something stopped her. Both of them froze as Riko's fist stopped short of Asami's nose.

Asami looked over the fist in her face to see what stopped the girl from laying her out. She was surprised to see Riko had gone wide-eyed and looked shocked at herself.

"What's wrong, Riko?"

The girl began to back away. She stumbled and fell to the floor clutching her head. Something was plaguing her mind.

Riko knew why she stopped herself from hitting her mother. Just as she was about to do it, a flashback erupted in her mind's eye of back in the South Pole, when she also had tried to hit Korra, though her mind was truly messed up then. Seeing Korra's shocked expression as her fist almost made contact with her face, it flashed in her mind as her fist quickly approached Asami's face. She froze.

As soon as she started backing away, many other memories flashed in her mind, causing her to stumble to the floor. She clutched her head tightly, as if to keep her head from splitting apart.

"Korra! Korra!" Asami screamed. She had no idea where the Avatar was, but hoped that she could hear her calls for help. She quickly kneeled next to her daughter's side.

Memories flooded the poor girl's mind. It started in the South Pole, to almost hitting Korra, Katara's funeral, Lin helping with her depression. Then it went to more recent memories; seeing Korra get severely injured, getting injured herself, then Asami's party, where she named Nami successor.

Korra ran into the room and sat on the other side of Riko. "Shh, baby, what's wrong? Talk to me."

Riko just held herself tighter, whimpering, and clenched her eyes shut. All of her bad memories just kept flashing in her mind. Next it seemed further away, to when she almost died to the hands of Viper and his gang. Doing drugs with Kohaku. Getting a little sister. It seemed to be going back in time now. Restaurant outings with her parents. Feeling ashamed of her battle scars. The image of Riko kept getting younger and younger, until she was back in the forest in the Fire Nation. Getting trapped in the bear trap. Running from other vicious animals. Suddenly a scene with her real parents appeared.

In real time, Riko gasped audible enough for Korra and Asami to hear. However, they were powerless to help her at the moment. She was lost in her mind, unresponsive to their calls.

This memory seemed slower. Riko watched as her biological parents scrounged up enough money to get food from one of the vendors in town. Toddler Riko cheered and her daddy carried her on his shoulders. The family, clad in old tattered clothing, ventured into town.

The next scene wasn't accompanied by a flash of light like the others, but instead started with a splash of deep red. Riko painfully willed away the red color and the next scene was one deeply scarred in her mind.

Riko hunched over and started to shiver, even though her skin was burning up.

"There has to be something we can do to knock her out of this!" Asami exclaimed.

Korra racked her brain for any sort of solution. Riko was beginning to burn up, something that seemed to always happen whenever Riko was remembering repressed memories, but this seemed to be an exceptionally bad case.

Riko gasped as she saw the firebenders murder her parents in front of her. She was frozen on the spot. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene and was forced to watch the scene over and over again as if on a broken record. She felt eyes on her and finally looked up to see the lead firebender. The man had a devious blue fire in the palm of his hand. The saying that occurred over and over again in her nightmares spouted from his mouth. With an evil look on his face, he said, "Any last words?" Her vision was then painfully consumed by the blue flames.

Suddenly, a cold water splashed onto her, waking her from her trance. She gasped and frantically looked around only to see Korra and Asami. Korra stood over her with an empty bucket with water dripping from it. Riko felt herself soaking in cold water and realized that it was Korra that broke her trance. Riko tried catching her breath, but began shivering again and hunched over with her arms around herself.

"Korra, she's probably freezing now! Get a towel!" Asami exclaimed. She touched the girl's skin, only to realize that she was still burning up. Burning up, yet shivering? Red alerts that something extremely bad had just taken place.

Korra returned with a towel and Asami wrapped it around their daughter. She sat behind her and pulled her in close to her as to hug her.

Riko felt a warm body hug her from behind and started to calm down.

"Maybe I can help." Korra said. Neither of the two were thinking straight and Korra produced a flame in her hand.

Immediately Riko jumped, trying to escape. Korra snuffed the flame just as quickly and backed away. Asami swiftly wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close to calm her down again. The girl was breathing hard again. Korra noted that her eyes were wide with fear.

Asami let out a scared chuckle. "Alright, never do that again."

Riko was still hugging herself tightly and her nails begun to dig into her arm. Asami noticed and gently pried her hands away. Riko leaned into her as she calmed down and Asami petted her hair.

Kohaku and Nami quietly stood outside of the wide gym doors. They sharply gasped as their mothers helped Riko exit the gym and to her room. The girl was covered in sweat and was shaking intensely. Her eyes were void of emotion while she grasped her mothers' hands guiding her down the hall.

The younger duo looked at each other. They hadn't seen Riko this shook up since the South Pole. What just happened?

* * *

Riko clutched her blanket tightly. Though she was still shivering, her mind had returned to normal. The door gently creaked as Korra and Asami came back in with a tray. Korra laid the tray on the bedside table and Asami sat next to the girl and stroked her hair. "How're you feeling, sweetie?"

Riko glanced up and looked away quickly not moving her head. Asami sighed and looked to Korra.

Korra nodded. "Riko, do you want something to eat? I brought soup."

Riko gave no response. Maybe she wasn't back to normal, her parents thought as they looked at each other in worry.

"I have some of your medicine here, too. I think it would help you right now." Korra added.

Riko completely rolled over so that she wasn't facing either of them anymore. They sighed and walked towards the door.

"Just holler if you need something."

Riko ignored them until they left. As they walked down the hallway, Korra whistled. She heard Korra whispering to someone before it took off down the hall. The pounding came closer to her room and Riko knew who it was.

Naga dashed into the room and rubbed her face all over the bed.

"Naga, go away."

The polar-bear dog refused and propped her front paws on the bed. She continued sniffing around until she reached Riko.

Riko managed to crack a smile as Naga rubbed her wet nose all over her. "Naga! Stop!" She laughed. The animal then licked her face. "Okay! Okay, girl! You can stay!" Naga wagged her tail and her tongue lolled out of her mouth. Riko giggled a bit and motioned for her to hop onto her bed. "C'mon, girl, up."

Naga happily jumped onto the bed and cuddled up to the earthbender. Riko sighed in content as she laid comfortably on Naga's stomach.

Korra and Asami stood outside of her door listening. They smiled as Riko let Naga into bed with her.

* * *

That night, Riko twisted and turned around in her bed. Another nightmare ailed her. Her face was scrunched up and she began to sweat. Naga nudged her with her nose, but it didn't help. Suddenly the girl awoke and sat straight up.

Korra tried to smile at her wife as their two children huddled close to them. Asami rolled her eyes playfully back at her and laid back down next to Nami. Korra sighed and rubbed Kohaku's back as she laid next to him. The kids had been growing out of their nightmares slowly, but tonight these two had exceptionally bad nightmares and ventured into their parents' bed.

They heard footsteps pounding down the hallway outside of their room. Asami hugged the children on either side of her. Korra sat up and held her hand up ready to bend in case it was an intruder. There was a second pair of footsteps resounding through the hall. It sounded heavier and was following the first set. The first stopped in front of the door and tentatively opened the door.

Korra sighed in relief as she saw her oldest daughter fidgeting in the doorway and then Naga caught up with her and stood at her side. However, then she noticed the bad condition she was in. Worry flooded her and she got out of bed to approach her.

"Riko, are you okay?" She asked. Riko was covered in sweat and gasping for breath. Korra pulled her into the room and Naga ventured in as well. The girl seemed to take notice of her and looked up at her mother. Korra saw the same fear from earlier along with pain. "C'mon, come lay down with us." She started pulling her towards the bed, but the girl stopped her.

Riko had finally noticed her brother and sister were in the bed along with them, probably escaping from their own nightmares. She painfully looked away and started for the door. "Sorry, I think I'm too old for this."

A strong gust blew past her and the door suddenly shut by itself, startling the girl. Korra put her arms down after she used her airbending to shut the door. She then dragged Riko to the bed and made her sit down. The girl was still too distraught to really resist. Korra grabbed a bowl from under her bed and went to the bathroom to fill it up. She placed it on the ground as she returned and crawled onto the bed to sit behind her daughter.

"Stay put for a few minutes. I'm gonna help you relax, okay." Korra said. It's not like Riko had a choice anyway, but it felt good when she felt the water overlapping her wet skin. Korra smiled as her shoulders began to sag, showing that she was beginning to relax.

After a few minutes, Riko was completely relaxed, almost leaning into her mother. Korra chuckled and stopped her waterbending. "Let's lay down now, badgermole."

Riko obliged and Korra gently ushered her into the bed. Korra hugged Riko until she fell back asleep. Asami watched, with a child sleeping under each arm.

Once situated with all three of their children asleep, Korra and Asami looked at each other. Korra smiled wide, making Asami's heart burst with love. Korra reached out with one hand to hold Asami's hand that which Kohaku was laying on. Asami happily received her hand. She smiled widely back at her wife. "I love you so much, Korra."

Korra blushed and gripped her hand tighter. "I love you too, Asami. I'm so happy with our life."

"I couldn't agree more." Asami chuckled. It was true. Moments like this reminded the CEO of how blessed she was to have such a loving family. Even with their many setbacks, she loved their family and wouldn't change anything in the world about them. They truly were a blessing.


	26. Chapter 22

"Ngh…" Riko rolled around until she fell from the rather large bed. She rose a brow as she looked around. The bed was empty of her whole family. Where had they gone?

She rubbed her head as she shook the sleep away. She stumbled up and made her way to the kitchen. She passed Naga on the way and the animal decided to tag along with her. When they made it to the kitchen, she was surprised to see everyone there. Her siblings sat at the table eating breakfast while Korra and Asami leaned on the counter drinking coffee in their robes. They smiled at her when she entered.

"Good morning, Riko!" Korra said.

"Er…good morning?" Riko replied. She wasn't used to this. Breakfast wasn't a time they all sat down to eat. Korra and Asami were usually rushing around the house, preparing for their work day. It was dinner that they always had together, when Korra and Asami came home from work and they talked about their day. Breakfast and even lunch was usually a 'fend for yourself' type of deal, even though they had a professional chef in the kitchen all of the time.

Riko looked at the extra plate of food on the table.

"That's for you." Asami said.

Riko glanced back up. "I figured as much." She slowly sat down with her brother and sister to eat the plate of food. They smiled at her as well, making her pout and look away in response. This whole morning was starting off weird to her.

She looked back over to their parents. "Don't you two have work?"

The couple faced each other nervously. Kohaku and Nami giggled excitedly, making Riko raise a brow at all of them. "Seriously, what's going on?"

Asami set her coffee mug down on the counter and faced Riko. "Well, um, we were hoping to hold out on this, but we felt that we really needed this for all of us."

Riko waited for an answer, but Nami beat Asami to it. "We're going on vacation!"

"What?!" Riko exclaimed, jumping straight up from her seat, knocking the table a bit and rattling the silverware.

Asami scratched her cheek nervously. "Yeah, we planned a vacation to go back to the Fire Nation."

"Why?!" Riko asked.

"I already said that I felt our family needed a break and I hope that it'll help release the growing tension here." Asami replied sternly. Riko recognized her 'boss' voice and knew that she was serious. There was no use in arguing, so Riko crossed her arms and looked away. "We had planned it for later in the season when it got hot out, but it's getting pushed up now."

"So what? Are we leaving today or something? That still doesn't exactly explain why you two aren't at work."

"In fact we are leaving today." Asami said. Riko blinked in surprise.

Korra popped up and spoke up. "Yeah we called our works and told them that we're taking a vacation. It's been awhile since we took one."

"Lin was okay with that?!"

 _Korra nervously dialed the number to Lin's office. "Chief Bei Fong's office."_

 _"_ _Hey Lin! Umm, I need a favor." Korra said, twirling the phone cord nervously._

 _On the other side, Lin rose a brow. "What is it this time, Korra?"_

 _"_ _I'm taking a vacation."  
There was a long pause before Lin spoke again. "I'm sorry, did you say vacation? Korra, you were just in the South Pole a year ago. Wasn't that enough?"_

 _"_ _I need it for Riko…"_

 _Things went quiet again. "What do you mean?" Lin asked in concern._

 _"_ _We're taking a trip to the Fire Nation, to her old home, in hopes that it'll help cheer her up. We don't know what else to do. Beside, going to the South wasn't much of a break last time."_

 _"_ _Right. Just… Sigh, if it's for Riko, do whatever you need to Korra. I'll support that."_

"We were just in the South Pole like a year ago!" Riko said.

"And when was the last time we took a nice, long vacation together as a family?!" Korra responded.

Riko paused. Maybe they had a point. They only went to the South last time to get her healed by Katara, and then the old lady died so it wasn't really much of a vacation. They'd taken mediocre trips to the South before, but those only lasted a week at the most. The best vacation any of them had ever had didn't even include Kohaku and Nami; when Asami first brought Korra to the cabin in the Fire Nation, where they found Riko.

Her family watched as she weighed the options. Suddenly she tossed her chair to the floor and stormed off, saying, "That's fine by me."

The women watched worriedly as Riko disappeared.

* * *

Korra found Riko sitting on a boulder by the woods in the backyard. She cautiously approached from behind, even though the girl could probably sense her arrival by using her earthbending. She sat in front of the boulder and the two sat in silence.

"What were you thinking about earlier?" Korra asked gently from below.

A soft wind blew before Riko answered. "I was thinking about the time you and Asami went on vacation, unintentionally adopting a jungle girl in the process."

"That was the best decision of our lives, though."

Riko paused for a few minutes and Korra thought she was ignoring her again. "Really?"

Korra smiled. "Of course. We love you. You completely changed our lives."

"But was it really for the best?"

Korra paused to gaze up at the girl. She was hugging her knees to her chest and looked quite depressed again. Korra asked, "What do you mean?"

"What would both of your lives look like if I hadn't tried to rob you that day?"

Korra paused again to think. "Honestly, I think we'd have a lot more sex."

Riko sighed at Korra's frankness. "I think you two already do enough of that."

Korra laughed. "But our lives would be pretty boring."

Riko's eyes widened the more her mother talked.

"I'd just be doing Avatar duties, serving no other purpose except to keep the peace of the world. Asami would keep her company going and produce new technology. We'd probably start to fight because, well let's face it, we're both hotheads, me more so but still. Our marriage might've broke apart…"

Things went silent. Suddenly Riko slid down the rock to sit next to her mother. "But you guys already do those things."

Korra smiled and ruffled her hair. "Yeah, but now we have a purpose." Riko gasped and Korra hugged her tight. "You three give us a purpose to keep going. I honestly don't know what my life would look like without you."

Korra sadly smiled when her daughter hugged her back. The girl hid her face in her shoulder, trying to hide the tears escaping her, and clutched to her shirt tightly.

"So does the Fire Nation sound good?" Korra asked.

Riko tearfully chuckled. "Yeah, sounds great."

That night the city shone brightly as the family drove in the cramp Satomobile. They had to hitch a trailer up to it because there wasn't enough room for all of the luggage in the vehicle. Korra and Asami smiled from the front seat. Riko gazed outside as the buildings pass from the backseat. Nami sat in the middle since she was the smallest and she and Kohaku were currently having a shoving match because Kohaku thought he deserved more room.

Riko rolled her eyes. And she's the immature one. Sheesh. Suddenly Nami fell into her. Asami was about to scold them, but Riko beat her. She growled at her brother. "Knock it off. We all have the same amount of space."

Asami and Korra glanced at each other. They shrugged their shoulders simultaneously. Looks like Riko was taking back her leader role.

They finally made it to the docks and boarded the ship. They all shared one ginormous room. Of course, only the best for a Sato.

The boat was about a three-day cruise, then a few hours of driving and they'd make it to the cabin.

Just as they were driving over a hill, Riko abruptly came to a conclusion. She gulped and hesitantly spoke up. "M-Momma?"

Asami's heart jumped with excitement. It seemed like so long since Riko had called her by that name. "Yeah, sweetie, what's up?"

"Umm, I just thought of something… There's only one bedroom at the cabin." Riko said, blushing a bit. They were not all sleeping in the same bed. There was no way Korra and Asami wouldn't get 'excited' during this trip.

Asami laughed. "Well maybe you should just wait 'til we get to the cabin. You might be surprised."

Riko rose a brow, but decided to wait and see. When they finally got over the hill, everyone gasped in anticipation. Even Riko smiled wide as the cabin came into view. A new section looked like was added. She nearly jumped from the car, but Korra playfully turned around in case she did. Just like old times.

Riko was the first one out of the car when they pulled in the driveway. She impatiently waited at the door as Asami had yet to unlock it. As soon as the lock clicked, Riko ran inside. Kohaku and Nami stood by the car, surprised by Riko's sudden excitement.

It was just how Riko remembered it. The living area to the left, the bathroom to the right, the huge kitchen and dining space in the back, which led to the beach, and Korra and Asami's bedroom on top.

Korra and Asami watched as Riko wandered around the house, reminiscing the first time she met them. Korra started laughing and Asami sighed. The CEO asked, "She still hasn't noticed the new space we added, has she?"

Korra laughed still. "No! And she usually notices things immediately."

Asami slapped her forehead and called out to the girl. "Riko!" The elder teen froze and faced her mother. She pointed to the new addition. "You missed something." Riko, confused, wandered over to the area. Korra tried to contain her laughter. Kohaku and Nami wandered in and were in awe of the house.

Riko saw two doors in the wall of the living room. A ladder stood in between them and led to another door above them. She looked to her parents and they motioned her to go up. Riko nervously climbed the ladder and ventured into the room. She figured out that she could crawl through the lower portion of the door. She froze as she stood up from inside. It was a new bedroom, decorated to fit Riko's needs. The bed was lowered to be level with the floor, so she could roll out of bed and not roughly hit the floor like usual. A small lamp sat on the floor beside it. The floor was soft to touch. There was a fair-sized closet in the corner. The room was simple, but that's what Riko liked.

"So? What do you think?" Korra asked. The couple had followed Riko up to see her reaction.

Riko faced them with a huge smile on her face. "I freaking love it! It's awesome!"

They smiled as well. "Good, because this is where you'll be staying for the remainder of this trip." Asami said.

Kohaku and Nami wandered up and were in awe. "Dude! This room is so cool! I wish I could stay here!" Kohaku exclaimed.

"Maybe your room is just as cool. How do you know if you haven't seen it yet?" Asami said.

Kohaku crossed his arms objectively. "I can already bet that Riko's room is still cooler than ours."

Asami ushered them out. "Well let's go find out."

* * *

Riko sat on the back porch. She sighed in contentment as the wind blew through her hair. The ocean waves lapped at the sandy shore. It brought back memories to the girl; happy memories. She looked to the sandy shore and chuckled. That's where she showed up for the second time, but covered in boar-q-pine needles. Asami and Korra were always good to her.

The back door slid open and her brother and sister wandered out. "Woahhh." They said in unison. Riko laughed. "I know, right, it's beautiful here."

Kohaku seemed curious yet hesitant. "You used to live here?"

"Yeah." Riko seemed to get lost in thought as she stared out into the ocean. "Well, I more so lived in the jungle nearby, but the beach was a trip made often."

"How'd you manage out here?" Nami asked quietly.

Riko stared at her siblings. She'd told them about her childhood a dozen times. "Why are you asking me about this again? I've already told you guys the story."

Kohaku jumped from foot to foot. "We know. We're just surprised by the place."

Riko shook her head with a slight smile. "C'mon, I think Asami's making dinner."

They sat at the table inside. Asami had just put their plates down. Korra smiled at them as they took their seats, though Riko was more hesitant. Korra noticed this and grabbed her hand. Riko gave her a soft smile, easing her worries.

Riko couldn't help but to think about the first time she stepped into this house. She unknowingly attempted to rob two of the most powerful women in the world. She scoffed at the thought. How stupid could she be?

Asami sat the main dish down on the table and took her seat as well. She saw Riko smirking to herself in thought and leaning into her palm and knew she was having flashbacks, but it looked like nicer ones this time. "Riko?"

"I'm good, momma. I just can't believe I tried to rob you almost ten years ago." Riko said.

Korra smiled and looked to Asami to reply. Asami chuckled. "And we're so happy that you did that."

* * *

Riko couldn't sleep that night. Through the open window she could hear all of the sounds of nature that she missed. She dragged herself out of bed and stood by the window to look. Just looking at her old home made her wish to return to the forest. She heard the snoring of her family and shook her head. With her decision made, she jumped out of the window and ran to the forest.

"Kids! Time for breakfast!" Asami called. She looked to her tired wife as they waited for their children. Korra laid her head on the table and almost fell back asleep. Kohaku and Nami stumbled out of their rooms and sat at the table. They waited a few more minutes for Riko, but she never came. They figured she was still asleep and ate without her. As Asami finished, she ventured into the girl's room. She gasped and yelled for Korra. However, Korra never came running. Asami huffed and ran back into the dining area. She froze before she had the chance to freak out.

Riko smiled goofily at the back door, sitting on all fours, and had brought some animal guests with her. She was covered in dirt and mud and scratches. Her family was frozen in shock at the sight of her. Riko growled an order at her monkey friends and crawled inside.

"Riko? W-What even?" Asami stuttered.

"Umm, I was getting some food for some friends." Riko said. She pulled some bread out from the cabinet and went back outside. "I'll be back later. It's important."

Before her parents could even ask what she was talking about, she took off running with the monkeys back into the woods.

"What just happened?" Kohaku asked.

* * *

Riko dashed in between the trees with the monkeys following overhead. After some time, they arrived in an opening. Riko walked up to a rather large tree and looked up into it. She growled a gentle greeting with a smile. She received a raspy chirp in response and the old chimp crawled down to meet her. She smiled more as she handed him some bread and then let the rest of the pack pass around the bag.

She watched at the old monkey gratefully nibbled on the bread. White furs were sticking out of his graying fur and he had grown rather skinny since the last time she had seen him. It'd been almost ten years now since she left. The gramps had been a youngin' then, but now he led the group of monkeys in his old age. Riko always gathered food with him in the old days. However, in his old condition, he couldn't hunt for himself anymore and relied heavily on the group.

After he finished eating, he crawled over to Riko and hugged her. Riko smiled sadly and returned the hug. They curled up together and the pack huddled up to them and they all fell asleep for a nap.

* * *

A few hours later, someone entered through the front door. Asami peered up from the couch and gasped. She threw the sleeping Avatar off of her lap and ran over to her.

"What was that this morning?!" Asami asked.

Riko chuckled nervously and rubbed her head. "Umm, I couldn't resist to go back to the forest for a while last night and I met up with some old friends. Gramps actually has gotten old so I came back to bring them food."

By now Korra had stumbled up from the floor and made her way to the doorway. Asami was fuming and ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "You could have at least told us that you were leaving for a while!"

"I-It was the middle of the night! I didn't want to wake you up." Riko responded.

Asami sighed and walked away. "I guess I can't get mad at you for that."

Riko blinked in confusion. "You're not mad?"

"I mean I am a little bit, but I understand, hun."

Riko paused to think. "Sooo, does that mean I can go back to the forest as I please?"

Asami nearly chocked on the air she was breathing. Korra rubbed her back to help soothe her. "Um, we might need to think about this. We've only been here for a day." Korra said to her daughter, who frowned.

"Why would you want to go back to the forest?!" Asami asked when she stopped coughing.

Riko's frown deepened. She stuttered trying to form an answer and shrunk away. "Uh, well, it's just that it feels like home and there's a lot of memories there…"

Korra slammed her hand over Asami's mouth before she said something stupid, which was rare for the CEO. Korra sweated as she responded. "Um, Riko just give us some time to think about it, okay? Ya know your brother and sister are around back playing on the beach. Why don't you go join them?"

Riko dejectedly walked to the porch and made her way to the beach.

Korra hastily pulled away from her wife before she blew up on her. "Asami, please just consider it first. I know what you're thinking, why would she want to return to the place of her awful past when she has a loving family here? But we're here for a month. She'll have plenty of time to spend with us AND with her jungle pals. It might help with her depression to see how her old home is doing."

Asami pursed her lips at Korra's attempt to defend Riko's wants.

Riko wiggled her toes in the sand as she reached her siblings' campsite. Oddly enough, Nami was the one sunbathing and Kohaku was splashing around in the water. The waterbender pulled up her sunglasses when a shadow blocked the Sun. She smiled when she saw her older sister standing above her. "Riko, you're back!"

Kohaku heard and looked over to see her. He rushed to get out of the water to meet up with her. "Hey, sis! So what happened this morning?"

Riko laughed nervously and sat down on one of the beach towels and Kohaku joined her. "Well, I ran out to the forest last night and met up with some old animal friends of mine. So when I came back this morning, I was trying to get them some food."

The younger two went 'ohhhh' as if they understood that.

"Momma's not happy about it."

Kohaku smiled awkwardly. "Probably not."

Riko sighed. "I know she's done a lot for me, but can't I at least relive some memories while we're here?"

"Are they good memories?" He asked.

Riko smiled. "Yeah, they are, for now at least."

"They you should explain that to her. I think she might come around."

"Maybe. Well, while I'm out here with y'all, why don't we get in the water?" Riko asked, smiling slightly.

Nami scowled and pulled her sunglasses back down. "You two go ahead. I'll wait here."

Riko and Kohaku rose a brow at each other before assaulting Nami and dragging her to the water.

"Ahh! Wait, stop you two! I don't wanna get-" _Splash!_ "…wet."

The older two obnoxiously laughed and jumped in with her. The girl immediately splashed them. They still laughed and splashed her back. However, with the girl's waterbending abilities, she was able to beat them and made her way back to the beach. "You two are the worst!"

They still laughed and continued throwing water at each other.

Korra heard her children approaching from the back porch and went to greet them. Riko and Kohaku were soaked, but were still laughing and smiling. Nami frowned a bit, even though she sat in the Sun plenty long enough to dry herself off.

Korra laughed at the sight. "Hold up, kids." She then used her waterbending to dry them off. "Did you have fun at the beach?"

"Yep." Riko and Kohaku said together.

Nami scoffed. "I just wanted to sit in the sun and they dragged me into the water."

"I can drag you back into the water if you like." Riko said with a mischievous smirk. "Gah, no!" Nami screamed as Riko went to pick her up off of the ground.

"Riko." Everyone paused. Asami stood there with her hands on her hip. "Put her down." Riko obeyed and slowly set her sister down. "C'mon, we need to talk."

Riko nervously looked to Korra. "It's okay, badgermole. Go on." Korra said with a smile.

Riko followed the CEO up to the master bedroom upstairs. Asami sat on the bed and patted the area next to her for her to sit. Riko felt as if she had just been pulled into some sort of executive meeting with Asami.

Asami cleared her throat. "I've thought about what you said and Korra and I have talked about it." She sighed. "You can spend time in the forest."

"Really?!" Riko asked excitedly.

"As long as you still spend time with us." Her mother nodded, letting the girl tackle her into a hug. "Thank you!"

Asami let out a chuckle. "You're welcome, sweetie. I'm sorry I got so frazzled earlier."

Riko laughed. "It's okay, momma. We all have moments."

Asami smiled and finally hugged her back.

Riko spent the rest of their vacation jumping from having fun with her family and going to see her animal friends in the jungle. They went out to eat at a dinner-and-show one evening. While they ate their authentic fire nation cuisine, firebending performers put on a show on the front stage. After their fire breathing act, they asked the crowed for a volunteer. Riko sneakily shoved Kohaku out of his seat, forcing him up. It was his birthday after all. He scowled at her as he was led to the stage. He wouldn't admit it, but he had a lot of fun trying to fire breath with the actors. That night, Riko snuck off to the forest again. She helped gather food and water for her chimp friends and then returned home. She then slept and stayed at the cabin for a few days.

* * *

"I want to stay here." Riko demanded.

Asami tried to blink away the shock. "I'm sorry, w-what?!"

Why would Riko even try something like this? Especially when they were just a few days away from leaving the beach house.

"What do you mean you want to stay here?!" Korra asked.

"I don't want to go back to Republic City. I like it here. It's just like how I remember it." Riko said. Dirt covered her and scratches littered her body.

"But Republic City is your home!" Korra yelled. Riko remained emotionless. "We're not leaving without you!"

"Well that's too bad." Riko said and began walking back to the jungle.

Korra and Asami looked frantically at each other. If they stopped Riko, they'd be oppressing her. But if they let her go, they may never see her again. They weighed the options.

Korra suddenly ran after her daughter and grabbed her by the wrist to stop her. "What about Karina?"

Riko froze. She'd almost forgotten about her since they came here. But could she really live on without her? What would happen to her?

"What about us? The same thoughts that are going through your head are going through our heads. Please, _please,_ don't leave us." Korra begged, now gripping tightly to Riko's sleeve.

Riko stood still, lost in thought. Korra eased her grip as the girl began walking back into the cabin. It may not have been an answer, but it might as well been good enough.

Riko sat on the back porch all evening, unable to escape her thoughts. Korra wandered out and sat down next to her. "So have you figured out your thoughts yet?"

"Neh…"

Korra chuckled. "Well let me know when you figure it out, badgermole."

They sat there together watching the ocean waves in silence for a few minutes.

"I didn't think through my decision and the aftereffects of it and I should have. I'm sorry, ma."

Korra quirked a brow, but then smiled brightly and yanked Riko closer to her. "So you're coming home with us, right?"

Riko smiled slightly. "Yeah, of course."

"I think you'll agree with that decision even more once we get home."

Riko's smile turned into a smirk. "Why? What's at home?"

"Hm? What? Oh nothing." Korra sing-songed, averting her gaze.

"Sure." Riko rolled her eyes.

Korra stood up and held her hand out. "C'mon badgermole. It's getting cold out."

* * *

Riko sat bored in the car with her family. They had just gotten off of the docks and were finally going home. She sighed at the sight of the tall skyscrapers and buildings. The Sun reflected off of the many windows. No more forest.

Kohaku and Nami jumped in excitement as they neared home. As they pulled into the driveway at last, Riko suddenly felt excited for no apparent reason.

The front door opened and out ran the huge beast that is Naga. Korra happily greeted the animal and they hugged. Riko smiled until she heard a punctuated cough from atop the staircase.

Dropping her bag, she gasped and nearly cried. "K-Karina?!"


	27. Chapter 23

"K-Karina?!" Riko shouted in astonishment.

The waterbender chuckled with her arms crossed. "The one and only."

Riko dropped her luggage and dashed up the stairs. She took her in her arms and lifted her off of the ground. Karina laughed as the girl hugged her tightly. She was so high off of the ground that she had to wrap her legs around Riko's waist and clutch to her shoulders. "Riko! Haha!"

Riko held her close and tearfully looked up at her girlfriend. Karina laid her hands on her cheeks and leaned in to her. Riko beat her to it and crushed their lips together. Karina blushed, but deepened the kiss by pulling her even closer.

They pulled away, making a popping sound. "Karina! I can't believe you're here!"

"Who do you think took care of Naga?" Korra imputed as she carried the luggage past them, Naga jogging closely behind.

"What?! You've been here for a month?! I would've rather been here!" Riko yelled.

"Quiet down, babe. I'm right here. And no I wasn't here for a month. I just got here about two weeks ago. Bolin was taking care of her before then." Karina replied. "As much as I want to just go cuddle with you for the rest of the day, we should really help carry everything in first."

Riko scowled. "Fineeee." She pretended to drop Karina, who immediately screamed, but Riko caught her again before she fell far. She smirked mischievously while Karina glared at her.

"Not funny."

"Oh I think it's funny, especially since I haven't seen you in over four months." Riko replied sarcastically.

Karina sighed. "Riko, I can tell you all about that later, but I really think we should help your family."

Riko pouted, making Karina giving her a peck on the lips. Riko sighed and gently let Karina down. "Alright."

As soon as all of the luggage had been brought inside the mansion, Riko was right back on Karina. The girl laughed while Riko hugged her tightly from behind.

"I don't mean to be clingy. I just missed you so much." Riko whispered into her back.

Karina pried her hands away from her and turned to give her a proper hug. "I missed you too, Riko, so much. I'm sorry I was gone for so long."

They separated a little bit and Riko led them to the couch. Karina giggled as Riko began to twiddle her thumbs, wanting to cuddle with her like old times but not wanting to smother the waterbender since they had just been reunited. Karina held her arms out open in front of her. "C'mere you big lug."

Riko smiled brightly and lunged at her, landing in her lap and laying her head on the crook of her neck. She sighed in content when Karina began rubbing her head to calm her.

"So fill me in. What's been going on around here?" Karina asked.

"I'm sure Asami's wrote you letters. How else would you have gotten back here?" Riko replied smartly.

"Well maybe I want to hear it from you. Even if Asami hadn't told me some, I still read the newspaper to make sure things were okay, even though they can be biased sometimes…"

"What did you read?" Riko asked, popping her head back up.

Karina paused to gather her thoughts. "What happened at the Avatar Festival gala?"

Riko stopped breathing for a second. She sat up to shake her head. "Things went fine. I was a little upset at first, but I know Asami made the right choice. Things have smoothed over."

Karina sighed in relief. "I was worried. When Asami told me you had retreated to your cold self, I was worried that something had gone horribly wrong, and I felt terrible that I couldn't be here for you during that hard time."

"Well I wouldn't say it went completely great…" Riko started, causing Karina to somewhat glare at her. With memories of that night returning to her, Riko suddenly smirked and swiftly got up, pulling Karina upstairs.

"Riko, we have to talk about this!"

"I know! I want to do something first!"

Riko dragged her all the way to her mothers' room. She could hear them putting away their belongings from the luggage. She knocked and told Karina to wait outside as she ducked into the room.

Riko chuckled excitedly as she told Asami what she wanted to do, and Asami was more than happy to oblige.

When the door opened again, Karina was quickly yanked into the room by Asami, and Riko and Korra ran out. Korra dragged her daughter back to her room to help her get ready.

"Asami?! What the heck is going on?" Karina asked. The CEO was throwing random clothes onto the bed, notably nice clothes.

"It's a surprise! I have to help get you ready though!"

"Ready for what?"

Asami shushed her and pulled her towards her large walk-in closet.

Riko, suddenly nervous, wrung her hands as she waited by the door. Korra laughed next to her. "Badgermole, calm down. It's going to be fine. I'm impressed by your willingness though."

Riko turned to her mother, obviously still nervous. "It was Lin's idea! A good idea…"

"Well you'll have to thank Lin later then."

All of a sudden Riko went wide-eyed. "Don't tell Karina this isn't my idea! I want her to think I'm romantic or some shit!"

Korra laughed harder. "I'm not gonna say anything to her."

Suddenly they heard heels approaching the stairs. Both women looked up expectantly. Riko gasped and her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. She began to laugh happily and went to meet up with the other two women.

Asami smirked. "I present to you, Ms. Karina."

Riko started to run up to her, but stopped to compose herself and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Riko."

Karina giggled and held out her hand for her to take. "I'm Karina."

Riko, suddenly such the romantic, pulled Karina's hand to her lips and gently kissed her knuckles, making the waterbender blush immensely. "You're looking fine this evening, milady." Riko whispered huskily.

Korra chuckled and leaned against the railing next to her wife. "Smooth, badgermole."

Karina smiled with the blush still on her face. "As so are you, Riko."

Riko genuinely smiled. She was wearing the same outfit from the Avatar festival, the same that Lin had suggested she save for a special night with her girlfriend. White top, green vest, and black slacks. However, that was unimportant to Riko. What was more important was how beautiful Karina was in that sparkling dark sapphire dress and blue heels, both of which Asami lent to her. Her mother had even done her makeup, not that Riko had minded the lack of makeup beforehand. The girl was beautiful no matter what.

Riko led the waterbender to the front entrance. "Come, milady, your chariot awaits!"

Karina laughed and followed the earthbender to the carriage waiting outside. Haru, their butler, was in the driver's seat. Riko rushed to open the car door for her girlfriend, who blushed and happily climbed in. Riko quickly jumped in and howled in excitement as the car drove away.

Korra and Asami watched from the porch. "How'd she become so suave all of a sudden?" Asami asked curiously.

Korra laughed anxiously and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I may have gave her a few pointers while I was helping her get ready."

Asami looked at her accusingly. "You actually gave her lines to use?!" Korra scratched her cheek in embarrassment. However, Asami laughed. "I can't believe you of all people gave her pointers. Your lines are horrible."

Korra rose a brow. "Hey! They worked on you, didn't they?!"

Asami leaned in dangerously close. "They did indeed." She then laid her lips onto the Avatar's. Korra grabbed her and eagerly returned the kiss, and they stumbled back inside the mansion.

* * *

Karina laughed at one of the many jokes Riko had hiding up her sleeve. Riko smirked at her successful attempts to make her beautiful girlfriend laugh. The carriage rounded a few more corners and they finally made it to the desired location.

Riko jumped out and rushed to open the door for Karina yet again, making her giggle. "You're such the gentleman tonight. I like it." Karina commented as she stepped out of the vehicle. Riko just smiled at her and they walked arm-in-arm to the entrance.

The restaurant was packed nonetheless. It wasn't the fanciest place in the city, but it was still very popular. They walked up to the host. The slender man looked up at them pointedly. "Can I help you?"

"Table for two, obviously." Riko said, whispering the last part. Karina giggled as she clutched to her arm.

The man rose a brow. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but as you can see we're completely full at the moment. Maybe you should make a reservation next time."

Riko saw something misleading in his eyes. She pressed her hands into the pedestal he was leaning on. "Do you have a problem with us being here? Because I can talk to the manager if I need to, and you will be fired for discrimination."

The man was obviously not buying it. "Please, miss, what proof do you have? You can see the place is full."

Riko, now fully enraged, grabbed the man by his tux and yanked him over the stand. "You _obviously_ don't know who I am. Because I'm sure my mother, the Avatar, would have a hay-day with the news of discrimination in her city."

The host went wide-eyed, finally recognizing the older teen. "Y-You're a S-Sato?! I-I'm so sorry! Uh, j-just give me a few minutes to g-get you a table!" He ran off, crashing into another waiter and spilling drinks everywhere in his rush.

Riko laughed heartily, while Karina clutched to her arm tighter. "Using your name to get seats? We could've just found another place to eat."

"Um no we couldn't, I wanted to take you here. Besides, I think Korra needs to know that there's still discrimination in the city." Riko replied, giving her a toothy grin.

The man anxiously returned a few minutes later to take them to a free table. The man asked what they would like to drink. Riko held up her hand. "Just a glass of red wine for both of us, but I want a different waiter to tend to it."

He nodded and ran off again, this time avoiding running into anyone. Riko was beginning to show how much she had truly been influenced by the rich Sato woman, but then couldn't contain her laughter, ruining the moment. Karina scowled slightly and grabbed ahold of her hand, making her pause.

"Are you gonna tell me about what happened while I was gone?" Karina asked gently.

"Yeah, well, Nami was named Asami's successor. I was upset about it initially, but I know Asami did what was best for all of us."

"Well I'm glad you came to terms with it. The newspaper just zoomed in on you and how you stopped the thief?!"

Riko smirked slightly, more to herself, and crossed her arms. "Well I had Kohaku to help me, but yeah someone snuck in to steal blueprints from Asami. We stopped him and Lin arrested him. Nothing more ever really came out of it."

"Hmm…" Karina sat in thought. "Is there anything else big that happened after that?"

"Hmm? Nah, not really." Riko replied confidently.

"Are you sure? Remember that Asami was the only one continuously writing to me."

Riko froze. Did Asami tell her something? But what? She hadn't done much wrong besides what they'd already talked about. "What're you talking about?"

Abruptly, a new waitress came and sat their drinks on their table. "Here you go gals, it's on the house for what that pompous asshole was doing."

That accent immediately caught their attention. They'd never heard such a voice. It was like a mix of Southern Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom.

Riko came to her senses. "No, no, we can't accept that. My family is very wealthy. We have no problem paying for it."

"Nonsense, girly, he shouldn't have acted like that so it's coming out of his paycheck anyway."

Both Riko and Karina blinked in surprise. The earthbender looked over to her girlfriend and then shrugged. "Alright then." Riko laughed.

"Do you gals know what you want to order?" The girl asked.

Riko paused. They hadn't even looked at the menu yet. Karina spoke up, gripping Riko's hand tightly. "Just give us a few minutes, please."

"No problem! I'll be back in a few." The waitress then skipped away.

Karina growled lowly after she finally left them. Riko looked up in shock. "Don't look at me like that. She was totally checking you out."

Riko blinked, then abruptly laughed out loud. "W-What?! You can't be serious." Riko said breathlessly. Karina's gaze was unwavering, though. Riko began to settle down. "Okay, okay, you're serious. But it doesn't matter anyway. I wouldn't want to be with anyone else but you, Karina." Now it was Karina's turn to look shocked. Riko chuckled and pulled her in for a kiss. "I promise."

The waterbender looked away in shame. "I'm sorry."

Riko smiled at her. "Babe, it's fine. Actually I'm glad to know that you feel that protective over me."

Karina carefully looked up, just to see Riko's obnoxious smile. She shook her head and smiled back. "You're such a dork, you know that?"

"Yep, but I'm your dork." Riko smiled, bringing Karina's hand to her lips to kiss it again.

"I'm starting to think that you got some of these lines from Korra." Karina laughed.

Riko jumped in shock, but then composed herself. "And what if I did?"

Karina smirked and yanked her over the table to kiss her full-force. "I'd say that they're working."

Karina slid back into her seat while Riko fell hard on the cushioned seat. Karina grabbed the menu. "We should probably pick something out before she comes back." Riko nodded, happy to end the previous conversation at that. However, Karina spoke up again. "Don't worry. We'll return to the previous topic shortly."

Riko slouched in her seat and began rummaging through the large menu.

The woman returned a few minutes later and took their order. Once she disappeared again, Karina grabbed Riko's hands. "Okay, back to before. Are you absolutely sure there's nothing you wanna talk about?"

Riko paused to think. There was something bothering her, but she wanted to see what Karina was talking about first. "I'm pretty sure. Just tell me whatever Asami told you. Did I do something horrible that I don't know about?"

Karina shook her head sadly. "N-no, I'm just worried. Asami told me about how you were training really hard in the gym and she was also worried because it made her think something more was wrong. After the festival you completely went back into your shell. We thought maybe something else had happened for you to push yourself like that. And then you completely broke down when you sparred with her…" They sat in their own silence for a minute, though the noise from the crowd around them was barely tuned out. "What happened? Was it just from the festival?"

Karina gripped Riko's hands harder when no answer came from her. "Please Riko, you can talk to me-"

"I couldn't sleep." Riko interrupted, making the other blink in surprise.

"What do you mean you couldn't sleep?"

Riko hung her head. "I've been having nightmares again. I couldn't sleep for a while after the festival…"

It clicked in Karina's head. "Riko, sweetie, why didn't you tell anyone? You could've gotten help for it."

Riko scowled. "I didn't want anyone's help! I was still kind of upset from the festival. So I just went into the gym every morning to relieve the stress…"

Karina sighed and laid her hands on Riko's cheeks. "I'm sorry, sweetie. Are you still having the nightmares?" The earthbender nodded. "Well I'm here now, so you have nothing to worry about. I'll protect you from the bad dreams."

Riko suddenly grew tired. "What about you? Where have you been for the past four months?"

Karina sighed. "Right, about that, well I told you that I was going to help prepare for the rough winter that was coming. Well after the first two months of the harsh winter we ran out of food, surprisingly enough. The tribe was getting furious with the lack of food. Chief Tonraq had no choice but to ask the other nations for provisions. I stayed to help the tribe ride out the hard winter. It'll probably stay in the books as one of the worse winters ever."

Riko blinked in surprise, then smiled the tiniest bit. "I guess you're off the hook then."

Karina gasped mockingly. "Really? No retaliation from the jungle girl?"

Riko chuckled. "None today at least. I'm already feeling drained a little bit."

Karina looked on with concern. "Hey, if you're not feeling up to it we can leave anytime you want."

Riko waved her hands in front of her. "No, I'm sure once I eat something I'll feel reenergized."

They continued to chat for a few more minutes until their food arrived. The waitress smiled at the earthbender. "Here's ya food, dearies. Hope ya enjoy it! If ya need anything else just holler."

Riko muttered a tired 'thank you'. The waitress sullenly trotted away, making Karina smirk in victory. She then took a bite out of her food. Her eyes widened. "Spirits, Riko, the food is amazing! Why haven't we been here before?!" Karina exclaimed.

Riko smirked as she began eating her own food. "Well I know I showed you around the city when you first arrived here, but we never actually did much. I figured this would be the best place for our first 'Republic City date'."

"Well we certainly have to come here more often."

"Even with the judgmental jerk at the entrance?"

"You dealt with the quite nicely. I think we'll be fine." Karina said, smiling.

Riko shrugged her shoulders good-naturedly and they continued eating.

At some point during their dinner, a band showed up and began playing a soothing jazz tune. The couple had had a few glasses of wine by now. Riko, giggling uncharacteristically, tugged Karina over to the dance floor. The waterbender obliged and wrapped herself around the younger girl as soon as they reached the floor. Riko's cheeks were beginning to burn a deep shade of red, more so because of the alcohol.

Riko had absolutely no idea how to dance, but she knew that dancing on a date was some sort of way to bond. She courageously took ahold of Karina's hips and they swayed to the music. Karina laughed as the earthbender struggled with knowing what to do next and she decided to take the lead. She did, after all, know how to dance, at least better than Riko at the current moment. She grabbed Riko's hand, motioning her to pay attention. She pushed their hands into the air and Karina twirled in a 360. Riko smiled brightly, picking up on it even in her stupor. The earthbender initiated it on her own this time, rising her hand in the air, and again Karina twirled for her. It was one helluva ego boost, especially in her drunken state.

The tune began to die down, signaling the end of the song. Riko grabbed her butt and lifted Karina into the air, making her yelp in surprise. People around them stopped to watch as the reunited couple stared deeply into each other's eyes. The crowd applauded as Riko gently lowered the waterbender. Karina pulled Riko tightly into her and kissed her hard on the lips. Riko eagerly returned the passion and the couple slipped out of the bar in each other's arms.

The front door slammed abruptly, but that didn't hinder the couple's journey back to the bedroom. It was after midnight, so hopefully everyone was asleep. Karina crushed her lips to the earthbender's, making her groan in pleasure. Riko grabbed her hand and walked backwards towards the stairs. She almost fell when her leg hit the stairwell and they giggled as they continued forward.

They were so caught up in each other that they almost didn't hear Korra and Asami, but Riko heard it due to her practice to keep her senses open. She listened but the sounds obviously weren't meant in a threatening manner. She chuckled as Karina stared at her, waiting to continue.

"Let's follow their lead." Riko whispered huskily in her ear. Karina's cheeks immediately flared up and she quickly ushered the other girl into their own bedroom.

Riko smirked as she was pushed into the mattress. Karina lunged at her and straddled her lap. She pulled Riko back up by her chin and forced a kiss on her mouth. Riko continued to smirk in the middle of it and tightly held onto the waterbender's hips. The kiss quickly turned passionate and soon they were groping each other. All of a sudden, Riko's hips bucked up in excitement, and in a flash they had torn their evening wear off of each other. The rest was history.

* * *

At first, everything was dark, pitch black. Riko looked around. She remembered this place from somewhere, but where? If she became too self-aware, her world would likely crumble apart. She knew what was coming. It haunted her endlessly. She heard the chuckle and searched for the source. Then she saw him, the firebender who ruined her life.

"Ready to face me?" He laughed at her menacingly.

"You're not real." Riko stated confidently.

"Are you sure?" He asked. His voice seemed to get deeper and rougher with every dream. Suddenly he disappeared and Riko was thrown across the room. The firebender stood above her defiantly.

Riko shook her head and stumbled up. "You may have taken my parents from me, but I still have a great life. You lost."

He chuckled. "Is that so?"

He went to pull something out of the shadows. Dream-world Riko went wide-eyed, but the real Riko hadn't seen what it was before she was shaken awake.

Karina carefully held her face in her hands, leaning across her naked body on her elbows. "Thank goodness you're awake. Are you okay, Riko? You were beginning to toss and turn in your sleep and you're sweating a bit."

Riko felt the sweat starting to inch down her chin. She cautiously sat up, looking around, and then laid her head in the palms of her hands. "Damn, that was close."

"What was, dear?"

Riko hesitated to speak again. "…I was having another nightmare, but this one seemed different. Luckily you woke me up in time." She slid her face out of her hand enough to see Karina. "Thank you."

Karina lovingly pulled Riko into her and they laid back down in the bed. She then pulled the soft blanket around Riko's shivering body. "You don't have to thank me, dear. It's what I do." She smiled at the earthbender and, by massaging her head, managed to coax her back to sleep.


	28. Chapter 24

The mansion was much happier with Karina around again. Riko was starting to get along better with everyone now, too. With the couple reunited, they almost brought new life to the family. For many days in a row now, they had ventured through the town to find new things to do together because Karina was determined to see more of Republic City now.

One time when they went to try a new bar, the venue was having an arm-wrestling tournament. Karina tried to hold her back, but Riko was determined to show off her strength in front of her girlfriend. After downing a few shots, Riko rushed over to the table where a crowd had gathered. She could tell most of the men there were earthbenders due to their stature and composure. It only made sense. Earthbenders are all about that strength and stance.

Karina cautiously followed, avoiding walking into the strong men. Riko went up to the ringleader, but the bald man laughed. "Look kid, if you wanna get to me then you have to get through my boys first."

Riko looked behind him to see twin brothers, likely in their late 20's, who crossed their arms and sneered at her.

Riko shrugged her shoulders. "Alright then. Let's get it on."

Karina slapped her forehead. Her girlfriend definitely had too much liquid courage, she thought. However, Riko easily defeated the twins in an arm-wrestling match. Karina blinked twice in surprise. Was Riko really that strong?

Riko smirked daringly as their father scowled at her and kicked out the seat across from him. "Alright then little missy, take a seat."

Riko sat down and the two put their arms up to prepare to start. Someone counted down as they stared at each other. Then it was on.

Karina couldn't believe her eyes, neither could the crowd of earthbenders around them. The two had been matched evenly, _for over an hour._

The man's two sons began whispering in his ear, as did Karina to Riko. "Riko just call for a draw. It's been an hour already and you two haven't budged!" Similarly, the twins were begging for the same thing from their father.

Riko sighed and the man scowled deeper. "Sir? How would you feel if we called this a draw for now?" Riko struggled to speak as they were still putting all of their strength into their arms.

The man seemed to growl and thought before answering her. "Let's call this a draw, _for now_."

Riko smiled tiredly as they, _at last_ , released their hold on each other's hand. She slid her hands under the table to hide that fact that she was cradling her hand. The older man let out a tired laugh and stood up. He welcomingly held out his hand for her to shake. She smiled and stood up to reciprocate it. She winced slightly as he roughly shook her hand. "Little miss, I never got your name."

She chuckled. "It's Riko. Riko Sato. You?"

The man immediately started bellowing in laughter. "Sato? As in daughter of Asami Sato? I would've never guessed, kiddo! I guess that means that you're Miss Karina?" The man asked of the waterbender behind Riko. Karina smiled and nodded in return. "Well you can call me Cato. These are my twin boys Yang and Yui."

Riko appreciatively shook their hands as well. "You're really strong, ma'am. I've never seen anyone take on Pops like that. It was incredible." One of the twins stated, making Riko grin.

The bald, yet long-bearded man crossed his arms. "Well, Miss Riko, you are welcomed to our tavern anytime! I do hope I get a rematch soon."

Riko smirked. "Thank you, sir. I will definitely be back for a rematch."

The couple giggled stupidly as they trekked back to the mansion. Once there, Karina noticed that Riko's hand was red and that she was still cradling it. She gently took ahold of it and began healing it using her waterbending.

A few days later, the girls were taking a relaxing walk in the park. Riko had her arm wrapped around Karina's shoulder protectively. The other hand was tucked into her pocket. Karina giggled at Riko's attempt to exude her badassery. Riko smiled and pulled her in close and they quietly kissed, with Karina laying her hand above Riko's chest. They pulled away, smiling at each other, and continued their walk.

Suddenly Riko halted their walk. Karina looked up at her questioningly, but the girl wasn't looking at her. She followed her gaze and was shocked to see Riko's little sister with a boy.

"The hell…?" Riko said, letting go of her girlfriend to sneak over. Karina sighed and followed her. They hid behind the tree to eavesdrop on their conversation. Nami was sitting on a swing set and the boy was pushing her higher and higher. He was her age, maybe a year older, and had short, rich blonde hair that hung in his face a bit. Nami was giggling as the boy pushed her on the swing.

"Since when has Nami had a boyfriend?" Riko whispered.

Karina chuckled. "Maybe it was recent."

"She didn't tell anyone!"

"Maybe she just didn't tell you." Karina commented. Riko looked down to glare at her. She sighed, though. It was plausible.

They watched for a few more minutes, but they just kept on swinging and talking. Karina sighed, getting ready to say that they should just leave, when Riko tensed up.

The boy produced a ball of fire in his hand and juggled it. Nami laughed at the act, but Riko suddenly felt that something was off. Karina grabbed her sleeve to get her attention. "They're fine. Let's just go."

Riko wasn't budging, though. "Something's wrong about this."

"Just because he's a firebender doesn't mean anything, Riko!"

Riko growled, but let Karina pull her away.

* * *

Karina felt Riko tossing and turning in bed once again. Even in her sleepy stupor, she knew what was happening. Half-consciously, she wrapped her arms around the earthbender to help soothe her.

Riko stared down the firebender standing opposite of her. The room was once again pitch black. The only thing lighting the room was the fire in the palm of his hand.

"Are you finally ready?" He asked sinisterly.

"Was I supposed to be preparing for something?" Riko asked confidently.

The man chuckled devilishly. "You'll be sorry if you aren't."

Suddenly Riko was thrown across the room, just like every other time. However, this time she hit an invisible wall. She let out a grunt as she landed on the floor. This was different. Her dream was evolving on its own. She tiredly glanced up at the man. A wide grin spread across his face, making Riko's stomach twist.

"Ready or not, here I come." He sang.

The firebender reached behind him in the shadows. Dream-world Riko went wide-eyed, just as before. Real-world Riko was unable to force her way out of the nightmare. She wanted to escape, desperately, but it was impossible.

A bloody, limp body was thrown out in front of her. Riko gulped, and shakily reached out. No, it couldn't be. Her nightmares had never gone this far. She hesitantly swept the hair away from the girl's face.

"Still think you're ready?" The firebender purred happily.

Riko couldn't breathe. Her chest tightened with fear.

It was Karina.

* * *

Riko woke up the whole house with her scream.

She jumped up and pressed herself into the headboard, hugging her knees. Karina immediately woke up, not quite expecting that reaction. She firmly grasped her cheeks and stared into her eyes. She was shocked to see them brimming with tears.

"Riko, shhh, Riko, what's wrong dear? Talk to me." Karina said.

Riko was beginning to hyperventilate, but reached out to touch Karina's face. Her eyes flickered when her hand was met with warm skin and she began to calm down. She slowly placed her hand on Karina's chest, checking for a heartbeat. She soon realized that she'd been dreaming again, because Karina was alive and was sitting in her lap right now.

"Damnit!" She cursed at herself and hung her head. A few tears dripped off.

With all of Riko's cues, Karina had figured out what happened and she hugged Riko close to her.

Stomping could be heard approaching their room. Karina heard Asami telling Korra to put out the flame, just in case. Karina sighed in thankfulness as Riko already looked ready to earthbend in the case of an intruder.

The CEO opened the door cautiously. "Karina? Riko? Is everything okay?"

They paused when they saw Riko growling tearfully from her spot on Karina's shoulder. The waterbender pulled her away and cupped her face. "Riko, it's okay. They're not gonna hurt you."

Eventually Riko recognized them and hung her head again. Korra rushed over and hugged her along with Karina. "What happened?"

Riko gulped. Her throat had gone dry all of a sudden. "I… I had a really…really bad nightmare…" They waited for confirmation of what exactly happened in the dream. Riko's scrunched her face up and tears began falling. "Karina w-was…" She couldn't bring herself to finish that statement and threw herself into Karina.

Karina sighed and looked to the Avatar. "We'll be fine. I can take care of her. You all go back to bed."

Korra hesitated, but at last let Karina handle it. She ushered Asami out. They found Kohaku and Nami waiting outside nervously. Korra ruffled Kohaku's hair. "She's fine, kids. Let's go back to bed."

Riko exhaustedly rested on Karina's chest. The waterbender had finally gotten her to lay back down, but Riko knew that there was absolutely no way she'd go back to sleep now. Karina absentmindedly rubbed her head in hopes of getting her to fall asleep. Eventually Karina drifted off to sleep, leaving Riko to her thoughts.

* * *

Riko stopped sleeping entirely. When Karina tried to coax her to bed every night after that, Riko would just lay there looking at the waterbender or staring at the ceiling all night. There was no way that she would return to that dream world. Sometimes she momentarily passed out on the couch, but it was always short-lived, as she forced herself awake as soon as the dreaming started. She didn't want to risk it. Karina could see it in her bloodshot eyes.

One day when Riko was spacing out on the living room couch, she saw Nami open the door for that same boy from before. He handed her flowers and led her outside. Sometime later, Asami passed by. She saw Riko looking into nowhere and snapped her fingers in front of her face. Riko jumped up startled. Then she rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry."

Asami was about to retort about her sleeping problem, but Riko thought something else was more important. "Did you know Nami has a boyfriend?"

Asami stood up straight. "What?! No I didn't. Since when?"

"Umm, since like two weeks ago I think. Karina and I saw them together in the park. And he just came by a few minutes ago and gave her flowers and they left the house."

"What is she thinking?!" Asami yelled.

Riko sat up, realizing that Asami truly had no idea. "H-Hey, I'll go spy on them and bring her back if things get crazy. I don't like him anyway."

Riko dashed out of the house and used her sensing abilities to figure out which direction they had went to. She sprinted towards the park. Once she made it there, she hopped into a tree near them and watched. She was too far away to hear anything, but she could see Nami laughing and they were holding hands. She waited for what seemed like forever, but the duo seemed to simply be having a nice picnic date. Suddenly something caught her attention. The boy grabbed her hand harshly and Riko could tell that he wasn't saying nice things to her sister.

Something in Riko boiled over. _'That's my sister.'_ She slid from the tree and roughly marched up to them.

The boy, surprised, jumped up and produced fire-blades in his hands. At least he was trying to protect her now, but it was too late. Nami tried to warn him, but Riko shot him across the field with an earth block, despite her fear of fire bubbling up.

"Riko! Stop, you idiot! He didn't know any better." Nami scolded her.

Riko growled and eyed her. "How'd he not know?! He knows who you are right?!"

Nami swallowed her next comment. Riko had a point, for once. The young boy stumbled up and back to them. "Um, sorry 'bout that. I forgot she had a sister."

Riko scowled. That was highly unlikely. All of a sudden, Nami gasped. "I need to introduce you to each other. Oras, this is my sister Riko. Riko, this is Oras."

"Your boyfriend?" Riko rudely interrupted.

Nami hesitated and glanced back at him. "Y-Yeah."

Alarms were slamming in Riko's head. "Well, Oras, it's nice to meet you and I'd hate to cut your date short, but Nami has some, uh, Future Industries stuff to do. Bye."

Riko hurriedly dragged Nami away until they reached their street. She abruptly stopped a block away from their home and crouched down to Nami's height. "Okay, spill it. What's going on?"

Tears threaten to fall from the young waterbender's eyes. Nami absentmindedly touched Riko's forehead scar. She'd forgotten her bandana in her haste to follow Nami. Riko looked for answers in the young girl's eyes, because she was thoroughly confused now, but she showed nothing. Something serious was happening and Nami wasn't talking about it. Riko scoffed and picked up the young girl and carried her back home in her arms.

She thought to herself. _Is this what everyone else feels like when I get this way?_


	29. Chapter 25

Riko growled menacingly at the firebender. The dark room was lit slightly by the flame in his hand.

"Oh, you're back again. Are you finally ready?" He asked, bored.

Her growling worsened and she could feel her lips curl back. She knew what was happening, but it was something she'd been repressing since she was taken in by her mothers. However, being in the dream world, it was worsened by tenfold. Her nails elongated and her baring teeth grew in size. Pain rippled through her muscular arms.

She huddled over Karina's limp body. In comparison to the warmth emanating from Riko, Karina had a cold air about her, which was unusual.

She looked up at her torturer, and for once it seemed that he was startled. The firebender was shocked to see sharp, dilated pupils. Perhaps her dreams were beginning to take her side.

Riko carefully stepped over Karina to approach the man. Panic grew in him and he rapidly produced fireballs. Riko smirked uncharacteristically evil-like and dodged his attacks. She tackled him into the ground and they wrestled for dominance. Suddenly he managed to get his leg up and kicked her in the stomach, forcing her away. She landed on her back and gripped her abdomen in pain. Just as she was getting up, he lunged at her, but she rolled away in time. Back up on their feet, they began a bending match. He threw fire at her in rapid succession, but she either dodged or fired earth back in return. At some point, Riko got close enough that she could punch him. She then grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off of the ground. That devilish smirk of hers deepened and she squeezed harder. He scratched at her hands, but it was futile. That is, until a cold aura suddenly washed over them. Riko went wide-eyed and dropped the firebender, who hurriedly scurried off into the shadows. She looked back, gasped, and fell to the floor. "K-Karina!? W-What!?"

Karina was hovering in the air, hair flowing about wildly, white light emanating from her eyes. Raava's symbol glowed out from her upper half.

Tears burned the edges of her eyes and she crawled closer to the girl. She didn't know how or what was even happening, but somehow Karina looked as if she was the Avatar, which, of course, was impossible.

The force of the aura kept Riko at bay, but that didn't stop her from trying to reach out for her.

A voice echoed in her ear. Slowly, as she got closer to Karina, the voice grew louder. Just as she touched Karina's hand, the voice suddenly bellowed loudly. "Riko!"

* * *

The earthbender finally opened her eyes. Karina stood over her a little too closely and held her arms down in case she jumped up. Riko was back in the real world. She gasped heavily for air and sweat inched down her back.

"You're awake." Karina sighed in thankfulness.

"W-what…?" Riko asked, breathless.

Karina felt her forehead and cursed. "Damn, you're burning up. Stay put."

Riko sat clueless while Karina ran to their bathroom to fetch a wet cloth. She hugged herself and only then did she realize how hot her body was. She felt like she was on fire. She was thankful when her girlfriend returned and began rubbing her face with the cold cloth, so thankful in fact that she pressed her face harder into it. Karina gently rubbed her head with her other hand.

"I didn't think you'd fall asleep tonight, but obviously you did. What happened? You woke me up with this hot fever of yours." Karina said quietly.

Riko scowled as she recalled the dream. She had only fallen asleep because her body wouldn't allow her to stay awake any longer. She hadn't meant to sleep long enough for her dream to form, but now that it had, was it really all that bad? Her dream hadn't ended how she thought it would, that's for sure. Suddenly she jumped up, forcing Karina out of her lap. "R-Riko? What's wrong?"

Riko quickly walked down the hall. Karina followed her until they stopped just outside of the married couple's room. "Riko, what did you dream about?" Karina whispered.

Riko was a mangled mess of emotions. She had no idea what was going on. She carefully peaked into their room and was satisfied to see them sound asleep. She pulled away and began walking again. Karina followed her, acknowledging that they were going in the opposite direction of their room. Riko halted short of Korra's 'office.'

"I need to do this by myself."

"What? What is it that you need to do by yourself?! What happened in your dream?" Karina asked, growing impatient.

Riko shook her head to stop the racing thoughts. "I… I don't know what happened in my dream. I can't explain it. But as soon as I figure it out, you'll be the first to know." She didn't wait for a reply and walked into Korra's study.

Karina hesitantly followed her, peaking in through the doorway. Riko was seated in the middle of the room, legs crisscrossed, hands pulled into fists put together. The chime of the water fountain rung in her ears. She sighed and began walking away. There was no way she could interrupt Riko if she was trying to meditate. The earthbender hardly meditated anymore, so Karina would leave her to it if she was trying to do it again.

Korra woke up early the next morning feeling groggy. She hated mornings, but for some reason she felt compelled to be up at such early hours. She squinted at her wife. Asami's gorgeous black hair swirled around her pillow and her mouth hung open slightly as she quietly snored. Though Korra always thought Asami was beautiful, she especially loved when she got to see Asami like this, no makeup and not feeling compelled to keep up her lady-like demeanor. This side of her was saved for Korra.

* * *

The Avatar quietly slipped out of their bed and made her way to her study. Something was drawing her there and she felt the need to meditate this morning. She slid open the doors and froze mid-step. "Riko?"

The earthbender calmly opened her tired eyes and looked up at her mother from her seat on the floor. "Oh, ma, what're you doing here?"

Korra blinked. "Um, I mean this is my office. I should be asking you that question."

Riko scowled a little and glanced away. "I-I had a weird dream. I don't know what it means, but it means something."

Korra wandered over and sat down next to her. "What happened in the dream?"

Riko gulped. "I-I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"It's complicated…"

Korra was slightly upset that her daughter wouldn't talk to her. "Alright. Well if you need anything, just ask me."

Korra quietly got up and left the room to Riko. The Avatar stood outside the door, unsure of what to do next. Maybe she had just woken up because she knew that Riko was up and about. It was still early. She yawned and returned back to her bed.

* * *

Asami gently knocked on the door of Korra's office, which recently had also become Riko's office. A tray of food was in her hand. "Riko? I brought you lunch. You hungry?"

She peaked in and saw Riko in the same meditation position. The girl didn't answer, instead focusing on her, well, focus. Asami fully entered the room. "Riko, c'mon, you haven't eaten in days."

A small scowl began to appear on the earthbender's face and she slowly squinted open her eyes. "I'm not hungry."

Just then an obnoxious growl came from her stomach. She winced as her mother's frown deepened. "Obviously you're lying, which I hate."

"I just can't eat right now! I have to focus!" Riko answered, lifting her head and looking straight at her mother.

"I don't know how you're even able to focus when you haven't eaten in days. Now come sit down and eat with me." Asami said, sitting on the couch.

Riko sighed and hesitantly got up and sat down with her. She looked at the tray as Asami laid it in her lap. It only took her two seconds before she completely devoured the entrée.

Asami giggled and covered her face as food flew around. "I knew you were hungry, but this is ridiculous!"

Suddenly Riko paused. A small shadow passed by the open door. Riko swallowed the last bite of food and dashed off after it, leaving a surprised Asami. Riko had barely even moved from the office, let alone chase after someone.

Riko caught up to the person and grabbed their shoulder.

"What?" The person asked.

Riko noticed that she was holding her arm and racked her brain to say something. "Um, what's up?"

Nami rose a brow. "You've holed yourself in mom's office for a week and all you can say is what's up? Unbelievable."

Riko frowned. "What's wrong? Where are you headed?"

Nami made to turn from her. "None of your business."

Riko angrily grabbed her arm. She went wide-eyed when she saw Nami flinch. "Nami?"

"Go away, you freak!"

Riko internally flinched and watched as Nami stomped away. "Wait, Nami, c'mon!"

Kohaku heard them from the kitchen and wandered out to see what the commotion was. Riko caught up to Nami again and stopped in front of her. "What is going on, Nami?"

Kohaku quietly stood behind her to see what would unfold. Nami scowled, still holding her arm. Riko went to grab it, but Nami forcefully pulled away. "Nami, this isn't funny. What's going on?"

"Why do you care now? It's always been about you!" Nami screamed.

Riko now took some offense to that. "Me? You're the one who got named future CEO!"

"There's always something wrong with you and our mothers have to take care of you!" Nami went on as if she hadn't heard Riko's comment. "What about me and Kohaku?! We've practically taken a back seat to you!"

"Did you not hear me?! YOU got named CEO. Kohaku and I got nothing! I'm sorry that I _sometimes_ take our parents' time but you two still get plenty of time with them!"

The two sisters went at it for a few minutes. Kohaku quietly watched from behind. He thought about slipping away because it seemed that he would be caught in the middle of it if he got involved. Just as he made a move to get away, everything went silent. He turned back to see Riko frozen and Nami gulped. In her fit of rage, Nami had let go of her arm, revealing a dark bruise. "What is this?" Riko hissed.

Kohaku carefully walked up to see what she was talking about and was shocked when he saw the bruise. Nami looked away, refusing to answer. Riko had to contain her anger so she wouldn't grab her again. Instead, she kneeled down to her height and gently held her hand. "Nami, did he do this?"

After a few minutes of silence, Nami gulped. "Y-Yeah, he's hit me a few times."

So much rage filled Kohaku at the moment that he had to walk away from them. Riko closed her eyes and pulled her other hand into a fist. Of all of the things she had been through, abuse was not on that list. She had to take a few breaths first before speaking. "It's stopping today."

"W-What? N-No, you can't-"

The doorbell interrupted her. Riko stared fiercely at her sister. "Is that him?"

Nami gulped again before nodding. Riko finally stood up straight and stomped to the entrance. She didn't care how old the kid was, he was going to get what he deserved. She opened the door and punched him in the face before he even had a chance to speak. He recoiled back, but regained his footing before he fell down the stairs. An intense look took over his face and he shot fire at her.

Riko deflected it with a rock and shot it back at him. The fight ventured down the stairs until they hit the street. Riko sent him skidding across the pavement. All the while, Nami was screaming at them to stop. Asami ran out and asked what happened. She saw the bruise on her arm and had a sneaking suspicious of what had happened and took her in her arms. Someone came running out of the front entrance and jumped down the stairs.

Riko and the boy, Oras, were now fighting hand-to-hand. She punched him again. Suddenly the boy produced fire blades and slashed at her. Fear took over her and she dodged for as long as she could. A fire blade cut open her arm when she moved to protect herself. She bit her lip to prevent a scream from coming out. All of a sudden, someone landed in front of her and shot fire right back at Oras.

Riko went wide-eyed as she watched Kohaku beat the crap out of the boy. She tried to yell at him to stop, but a whimper was the only thing that came out of her mouth. Nami appeared at her side. She gasped at the sight of the gash in her arm. "I-I'm not that great at healing, Riko. What do you…?"

Riko looked around and noticed that Asami had disappeared. She grit her teeth and shook her head. Karina had to be around somewhere. Riko put her free arm around her sister and pulled her in for a sort of hug. Nami was shaking but eagerly returned the gesture.

Yelling suddenly came from the entrance. Korra sprinted past them and pulled Kohaku away from the boy. They were speechless at the sight of his bloodied up face and Kohaku's bloody hands. Their brother looked menacing. Then Asami appeared and dragged Kohaku away while Korra tended to Oras.

Then Karina slid next to the girls. "Oh spirits, Riko you're hurt!" She rapidly grabbed her arm, making Riko groan in pain. She was still biting her lip to stop from screaming. Karina noticed as blood started to seep from her lip. She looked for a cloth in panic. As a last resort, she yanked her shirt off, leaving her in a tank top. She curled it up and motioned for Riko to open up. Once that was complete, she saw the cut Riko had made herself on her lip. She sighed shakily and turned her attention to her wound. Even though she had tended to Riko's wounds before, this was the first time "in the field" so to say and this was a really bad injury.

Nami grabbed Riko's hand as Karina started the healing process. Riko tiredly glanced over at her sister, suddenly grateful to have her at her side.

Police sirens could be heard in the distance and before Riko knew it Lin was kneeling in front of her. "Riko, are you okay?"

"Mhmm…" Riko gave a muffled whimper, nodding her head. Lin sighed at her determination. The Chief looked around at the scene. What a mess these kids were. Oras had come to and was being guided to the squad car. Kohaku was seated on the curb talking to an officer. Riko was breathing heavily through her nose while Karina worked on her arm. And Nami just looked frightened with everything going on. Lin gave the younger sister a pat on the back. "You need to tell me what happened."

Nami nodded and they walked away to talk. Riko squinted open her eyes to take in everything. She was likely going to be in a lot of trouble. She did punch an underage kid after all. And then Kohaku had to make it worse by full-out beating the crap out of the kid. They were going to be in trouble, with both their parents and the police.

Riko winced when Karina began placing bandages around the wound. She hadn't even noticed that her girlfriend had gotten up to fetch them.

Asami followed her daughter and the Chief. After hearing the whole story from Nami, the CEO was furious and now understood why her two oldest kids had attacked that kid. Frankly, she felt proud of them for defending Nami.

Lin sighed and looked to Asami. "I understand that the two of them had all of the reason in the world to beat this kid, but that doesn't make it right in the eyes of the law. There could quite possibly be very serious repercussions for their actions today."

Asami squinted her eyes. "What are you getting at, Lin?"

Lin sighed again and crossed her arms. "Kohaku is still underage so he could get by with community service, but from his actions I have a feeling he would be tried as an adult. He and Riko could be facing jail time for this…"

"Lin!" Asami yelled. "What?! They were just protecting their little sister! There has to be something you can do!"

Riko heard the commotion coming from her mother and hung her head. She definitely just threw her family into another rollercoaster.


	30. Chapter 26

Korra ripped the newspaper from her wife's hands. Asami had been scowling at it for the past ten minutes. Korra read the first few lines and quickly incinerated the paper in her hands. Two of the most prominent families in Republic City had gotten into a big fight, or at least that is what the press is focusing on. Riko and Kohaku had no idea how important the kid was. They just gave him what he deserved. Things were about to get really ugly.

"This can't be happening." Asami mumbled into her hands.

Korra began pacing the room. There was literally nothing they could do. It's been days since the incident and still no justice had been brought down on either side. While they racked their brains for a solution, White Lotus envoys guarded the mansion.

* * *

Riko sat in bed, knees pulled up to her chin. Karina sat beside her, combing her fingers through her hair in an attempt to cheer her up. She quickly realized that her girlfriend was falling back into her depression, if her appearance was anything to go by.

Riko glanced at her bandaged arm and sighed. Now she would have a scar to match the one on her other arm from the bear trap. How romantic. Not. Her new wound was still very fresh, though. With the combination of fire, the skin immediately around the gash was also burned and open to infection. It would take much more complex healing for this to go away.

* * *

Haru, the family butler, appeared in the living room, where Korra and Asami were beginning to get angrier with each other than with the situation at hand. He coughed to get their attention. Asami rose a brow and stood up to meet him. He had the phone in his hand. "The Chief-of-Police wishes to speak to you."

Asami nodded her thanks and took the phone from him. Korra drew closer to the phone to eavesdrop.

"Hello, Lin? What's going on now?" Asami asked.

Lin sighed on the other line. "Well you're not gonna like it, but I have a proposition, a sort of solution for both sides of this."

"I'm listening." Asami said.

"If both families drop the charges on each other, this whole thing could be taken care of without anyone going to jail."

"Are you kidding me?!" Korra yelled. "There's no way! He was abusing our little girl!"

Before Lin could interject, Asami spoke up. "I'm sorry Lin, but Korra's right on this one. We can't just let this go. How do we even know that the other family will agree to this anyway?"

"Listen girls, I've thought about this a lot and I hate it as much as you do. But if you continue this, both of your kids will go to jail while that bastard kid gets off with community service. Is that really what you want?" Lin answered.

Everyone went silent. Asami rubbed her forehead tiredly and sighed. "What do we have to do for this to work?"

* * *

Korra glared at the other family as they entered the police department. Asami grabbed her arm, trying to keep up her businesswoman demeanor. "Down, girl. If this is going to work then we have to get along for now."

No words were exchanged between the two families. Lin soon found them and led them to a boardroom to discuss the negotiations. Immediately the tension grew by tenfold. Asami had to force Korra to sit before she blew up. The room was silent for a minute.

Lin interrupted the silence with a sigh. "Now that we're all here, maybe we can come to an agreement. I've already talked to both sides about this solution, so hopefully this can go smoothly." She glared at both sides as she said the last word. "Have both families come to a conclusion?"

Asami and the father from the other side nodded their heads. Asami spoke up first. "We're willing to drop all charges if you're willing to do the same, sir. I think we all have had enough of the press as it is."

The man remained silent still, making Asami grow nervous, though she hid it well. "You're willing to let our son get away with abusing your daughter?"

"At the cost of splitting our family, yes. Her siblings protected her and I know they will continue to do so if your son even imagines coming around her again. They won't let any of this happen again." Asami answered, staring back at him.

"Oh he won't be around any of you again. I'm as furious as you are, which is why I'm surprised by your agreement to this. We want our son to pay for what he has done." The man replied.

Asami and Korra blinked. He wanted his son to pay? He wasn't going to coddle him? Give excuses? Anything?

"Then why are you here?" Korra asked.

The man sighed. "We understand that you don't want to lose your children, but we still want our son to face the consequences."

"You can do that on your own time." Korra answered more angrily. How dare he pull her children into this just so his son will face the consequences. "Our children are not tools to teach your son. You can still drop the charges and have him pay the price of his actions. You don't have to involve our kids."

"What would you propose, Avatar Korra? Send him to boarding school? Give him community service? Pick up garbage from the streets? If this were your child, how would you punish him?" The man said, answering with his own anger at the situation.

Korra growled to herself, making Asami lay a hand on her shoulder to calm her. Suddenly Korra blinked, completely calm. Then, slowly, a smile spread across her face.

* * *

"That was actually a good idea, Korra. I'm proud of you." Asami commented as they got into their car. Korra smiled brightly. Asami chuckled and grabbed her chin to give her a peck on the lips, making the Avatar blush profusely. "What?" Asami laughed.

Korra scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "Well, it's just that, you hardly give me kisses anymore for doing good things. It was sweet."

Asami paused. She then felt slightly ashamed that she didn't reward Korra more, not just for doing good things around the city, but just for being there for her. She sighed, grabbing Korra's hand. "I'm sorry, Korra. You know I love you, right?"

Korra smiled cheekily and swiftly pulled the CEO in for a hug. "Of course I know that, sweetie. I could never forget how I finally have a family with the love of my life."

Asami giggled as she rested her head in the crook of Korra's neck. "Even if they almost get themselves thrown in jail and get into fights with each other?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Korra answered honestly.

Asami pulled back to meet her eyes. "You can be really sweet when you want to, Korra." Then she grabbed her and placed a kiss on her lips.

"And you are always sweet, in more ways than one." Korra said, wiggling her eyebrows.

Asami almost blushed, until Korra finished her statement. "Way to ruin the moment, _Uh-vatar_."

"Aww! C'mon 'Sami, it's been awhile since we've had some alone time."

"And you want to do it here, in the car, in front of the police station?" Asami said, then paused to give Korra a chance to redeem herself, but the Avatar was unrelenting. She continued to smirk even as Asami started the car and drove off with a deep blush on her face. "I can't believe you sometimes. You start off all sweet and everything and then you just ruin it."

"I wasn't serious, babe. Except for having some alone time, except I didn't mean for us to do it here. The press has enough on their plate."

"Oh that's what's stopping you?"

Korra chuckled, laying an arm over her shoulder. "I have learned to stop egging on the press. I have changed a little since I was a teenager."

"I'm glad you haven't changed too much. That's the girl who I fell in love with."

Tension suddenly filled the air, but it was comfortable. Korra had shut her mouth, now staring wide-eyed at her wife. A deep blush grew on her face and eventually she settled down into her seat, letting Asami drive them home. As they pulled into the garage, Asami hit the automatic button to shut the entrance and pulled further into the huge garage.

"Um, Asami? What're you doing?" Korra asked timidly.

"Making up for lost time." Asami replied, grabbing her wife and forcefully planting a kiss on her lips. Korra smiled and figured out her plan. They giggled as they slid into the backseat to express their love in another manner.

* * *

Riko sighed at the sight of her parents. She was wondering why they were taking so long out in the garage, but now it was obvious. Korra tried and failed to hide the love marks on her neck and Asami's hair was a mess. The earthbender didn't bother asking and turned to go back to her room. The meeting was probably a failure anyway.

"Aren't you at least going to ask about the meeting with Lin?" Korra asked.

Riko turned back to see her mother smiling at her. She rolled her eyes as she answered. "I can see how the meeting in the garage went."

Korra frantically tried to hide the marks again, while as Asami sternly faced her daughter. "Riko, you don't talk to your parents like that."

Fear erupted in her stomach. It was amazing how Asami could instill that motherly fear even though Riko was almost 20 years old. But then she thought about her mother's statement and had to bite her tongue to keep from lashing out about how they aren't even her real parents. She shook her head of the thought. Those nightmares must really be getting to her.

Asami saw Riko freeze and grew worried that she was fighting with her inner self again. However, Riko then continued her trek back upstairs. "Find your brother and sister! We're having a family talk!" Asami called out to her before she disappeared.

Asami turned back to her wife to find that she was still trying to cover herself. She sighed and lightly smacked her on the arm. "Just go find some other clothes to wear for now, dear. It's no big deal."

Korra pouted and together they walked back to their master suite.

Riko crossed her arms as she sat in the loveseat in the living room. Karina followed her and sat next to her, wrapping an arm around the earthbender. Kohaku and Nami sat on the couch together. They awaited for their mothers. When they finally showed up, Korra was wearing a blue hoodie to cover herself up.

"Now that we're all here, we can talk about what's been happening." Asami started. "Lin came up with a solution for both families, but the other family didn't agree at first, not because they were defending their son, but because they actually wanted him to face the consequences."

"So what now? Are we going to jail?" Riko asked dejectedly.

Asami let her smile slip through. "No, actually. Thanks to Korra."

The Avatar smiled and began talking. "I told him that he could teach his son a lesson without involving you three, and I gave him the perfect idea."

The teenagers waited for the answer. "Well what is it?!" Kohaku asked, excited that none of them were going to jail.

"No one will go to jail. Oras will be 'volunteering' at the local orphanage." Korra answered.

The room went silent. Slowly, Kohaku, Nami, and Karina smiled and began cheering. Riko sat stunned that everything was resolved without anyone going to jail. Karina slid into her lap, grabbed her face, and kissed her hard on the lips. Riko smiled into the kiss and hugged her tighter.

It was the perfect idea for Oras's punishment. Maybe he would learn to respect orphans, such as them.


	31. Chapter 27

Karina found Riko asleep on the couch. The girl had fallen asleep reading a book, so naturally it was laying on her face now. Karina sighed, knowing that she was probably drooling all over it. She inched up to her, intending to wake her up, but that's when she noticed the scowl on Riko's face as she lifted the book from her face. She should've known even when sleep managed to catch her, it would only lead to nightmares. Before Karina could react, Riko suddenly shot up in fright. She saw the terrified expression on her face and tried to calm her. However, instead of indulging in her girlfriend's comforting arms, Riko marched over to the bookcase and randomly picked up a book and attempted to read it. Karina could tell she wasn't coherently reading, just trying to clear her head.

Riko jumped when she felt a hand land on her shoulder. She turned and saw her girlfriend. "H-Have you been here the whole time?"

"I saw enough to know that this is becoming a serious problem." Karina answered solemnly. Riko scuffed and turned back to the book in her hand. Karina sighed and gently grabbed her hand. "Riko, sweetie, please just take a break from this. You're driving yourself crazy."

"I have to figure out what my dreams mean. I know there's some meaning to it." Riko replied, hanging her head.

Karina waited a moment before speaking again. "You haven't slept for days. I know you don't particularly enjoy it, but your body needs sleep for a reason. You're going to burn out."

The room went silent for a minute. Riko looked like she was actually contemplating Karina's idea. "What do you propose I do instead?" Riko regrettably asked.

Karina smiled and pulled her out of Asami's library. Riko rose a brow as they entered the kitchen. "Um, are we cooking?"

"No," Karina laughed. "Just shut up and grab the bread."

Riko pouted but did as told. She then saw all of her girlfriend's gathered materials and realized what she had planned. She quietly laughed and helped her make sandwiches. Karina smiled and put other snacks into a basket.

When they were finally ready, Riko shoved her hands in her pockets, but Karina grabbed them in a hurry. She smiled brightly at Riko, making her brighten up as well. She led them out to the backyard and sat in the middle of the courtyard. Riko smiled slightly as Karina passed her a sandwich and began talking about her day. Riko contently ate her sandwich as her girlfriend talked.

Suddenly Karina paused. Riko looked up just in time for the waterbender to take her finger across the edge of her mouth, making her recoil slightly. Karina giggled. "You had some jelly on the corner of your mouth. It was just too cute to pass up."

Riko didn't reply. Instead they just stared at each other. All of a sudden, Karina pounced on Riko. Laughing, they wrapped their arms around each other. Ever so slowly, Karina connected her lips to hers. When they pulled away for air, the space around them went cold. Riko felt her girlfriend go cold as well and jumped when she saw what was happening.

White light was emanating from Karina's eyes. "K-Karina? No! Wake up!"

* * *

"Riko! RIKO! Wake up! Damn it, I swear if you don't wake up…"

Karina shook Riko harder. She had gone completely cold and wouldn't wake up. She hauled her up from the library floor and onto the couch. "Please, please Riko, wake up." Karina began crying. She hesitantly let go of her hand and took off running through the house, looking for help.

* * *

Her eyes slowly opened, blinking away the faces that appeared in her vision. Her head was pounding and she was freezing. She groaned as she regained consciousness.

"Riko?!" Karina grabbed her face to look at her. "How do you feel?"

Riko slowly blinked as she answered. "Crappy. What happened?"

Karina bit her lip and looked away. Gaining her curiosity, Riko tried to sit up. She eased up onto her elbows and that's when she noticed Korra and Asami. All of them looked really worried.

"You passed out while I was talking to you in the library."

Riko looked back to her girlfriend. Of course, there was no way they could just have a nice lunch date together. It was her imagination.

"How long?" Riko asked. No one answered, making rage fill her. "How long was I out?!"

"Riko, calm down. It's no big deal. You needed the sleep and obviously your body shut down." Karina quietly replied.

Riko took a few deeps breaths. "Sorry… How long was I passed out for?"

"Two days. We've been taking turns checking on you." Korra answered. Her arms were crossed and now that her daughter had woken, she looked upset. "You can't continue to do this to yourself, Riko. You can get help for it. There's medicine available for problems like this."

"I'm not doing medicine." Riko growled angrily.

Korra rose a brow and eyed the earthbender. She saw how quickly Riko was getting fired up and became concerned. Suddenly it clicked in her head. She stomped up to her daughter, making her inch back nervously. She was still her mother and could instill the motherly fear in her just like Asami could.

"You haven't been taking your medicine, have you?"

Riko froze. Wide-eyed, she looked to Karina and Asami, who also looked surprised. She gulped. "I… I…" Her breathing quickly picked up pace and she hugged herself. "No. No!"

Korra hurriedly climbed into the bed and hugged her tight. "Shhh, shhh. It's okay. I'm not mad, sweetie. Everything's going to be alright." She squeezed her tighter and looked to her wife. "Asami, find her medicine. See how long she's been going without it." Asami nodded and swiftly ran into Riko's bathroom.

Karina watched in fright at the scene. How had she not realized that Riko was skipping out on her medicine?! She was supposed to notice those things! She felt so worthless in that moment.

Asami found Riko's medicine and gasped. She still had at least two months' worth of her prescription.

"Oh no. Korra!" Asami ran as fast as she could back to the room. "She's been going on two months!" She announced as she returned. Karina and Korra both went wide-eyed.

"Give them to me!" Korra said. Asami quickly handed her the two small containers. Korra growled as she dug out two pills and turned back to her daughter. "Okay, listen to me Riko. You need to take these right now. They'll make you feel better, remember?"

In the middle of her panic attack, Riko was able to comprehend what was happening and nodded. Korra placed the two pills in her palm and Asami came back with a glass of water.

Riko eyed the medicine in her palm and hesitated to finish the deal. Karina laid a hand on her shoulder quickly before Korra could. "Dear, please…"

Riko saw the worried look in her eyes and knew what she had to do. She released a shaky breath before swallowing the pills. Karina smiled and swung her arms around her. Immediately Riko felt better, not from the medicine, but from her girlfriend's presence. She carefully pulled her off of her. A solemn expression took place on her face.

"Have I been acting…t-that crazy lately?" Riko tentatively asked.

Karina remained silent for a minute to contemplate the question. "You know what you've been doing. You tell me."

"I remember what I've done, but did I get too out of it?" Riko asked, continuing to breathe heavily.

Karina sighed. "Well, you've been forcing yourself to stay awake and research who knows what since you won't actually tell anyone what you're looking for because you had a dream. You passed out in the library in the middle of me talking to you. If you really want my thoughts, I think you just need rest and learn to relax. And of course begin taking your medicine again."

Riko nodded and leaned into her. Karina happily took her in her arms and kissed her cheek. Tears began to drip from Riko's eyes. Karina gasped quietly and pulled her in closer.

"I'm sorry. I'll start taking my medicine again." Riko cried into her shoulder.

"I know, dear, and I'm glad. Who knows, maybe it'll help with your sleep." Karina answered, sighing into the earthbender's hair.

Korra laid the pill bottles on the table, then gently rubbed Riko's hand before walking out with Asami.

For the rest of the evening, Karina held Riko in her arms as they laid in bed. Asami came up to announce that dinner was ready, but paused as she opened the door when she saw the young couple asleep in bed, wrapped up in each other's arms. She gently smiled and quietly shut the door.

Karina woke up a few hours later in the middle of the night. She drowsily glanced over and smiled when she saw the Riko was sound asleep on her shoulder. Hopefully this medicine would still work for her. Karina woke up again when the Sun shone through the curtains. She smiled as she realized that Riko had made it through the whole night without any disturbances. In fact, Riko was still asleep and quietly snoring from her new spot under Karina's chin.

Only a few days passed until Riko was back in Asami's library to conduct research. Karina scowled when she found her there again. "Riko babe, what are you doing in here again?"

Riko scowled back and turned to face her. "I still have to figure out what is going on with me."  
"But I thought the medicine was helping. You haven't had any nightmares yet."

Riko bit her lip and glanced away. "Actually…" Karina shook her head before Riko even finished. "I have been having the same dream. It's just been calmer since I started the medicine again."

"So you lied to me."

Riko jumped away. "I lied to you? You never asked about how I was sleeping! You just assumed that I was 'fixed' since I wasn't waking up in the middle of the night anymore!"

Karina squinted her eyes. "Did you take your medicine this morning?"

This made Riko livid. "Yes I took the damn pills this morning! Why, because I'm mad?! I know I have issues but don't I still have the right to be angry?!"

"Just stop yelling for a minute! Geez."

"No, you can't tell me that I can't do research on my dream. I know you're worried but give me some damn freedom."

"Every time we give you freedom you fuck it up somehow! How am I supposed to trust you?"

"Well then maybe you shouldn't!"

Karina's eyes went wide. "W-Wait, Riko I sho-"

Riko didn't stick around to hear the end of Karina's apology. "Just forget it! I need out of this crazy house!"

Karina watched her stomp out of the mansion. Maybe some fresh air would do her some good anyway.

* * *

Riko threw her hands in the air in defeat. "Why can't I figure out what this stupid dream means?! Is it pointless? What if there isn't even a meaning… No, with signs like that, there has to be a meaning to it. Ugh, I need a drink to clear my head." And with that, she began her trek towards Cato's tavern.

Even as the Sun was beginning its descent, the newly erected Spirit Portal shone brightly in the distance. Riko paused. Could the spirits help her find the answers she needed? Riko growled to herself in frustration. She should've taken Korra's numerous offers all those years ago when she tried to take her there. But it made her nervous every time they tried, and every time Riko ended up backing out at the last second.

With a huff, Riko changed course and headed for the Spirit Portal. She was desperate for answers. She hung her head in nervousness as she trekked through the more discarded area of Republic City. The closer she got, the more it appeared like a ghost town.

Riko anxiously stood outside of the Spirit Portal for almost an hour, just staring into it. What would she find in there? What was that world like? Most of its inhabitants were spirits, so there'd be no human interaction. She'd be on her own for sure.

But she'd been on her own before.

Riko suddenly stood up with renewed will. That's right. She had survived on her own for years. This would be just the same, right? She gulped and finally took the last few steps into the portal. The world around her blurred in a rush.

If she failed to find her own answers, then maybe someone here could help her.


	32. Chapter 28

Riko hesitantly opened her eyes. What she saw next amazed her. She openly gasped and excitedly took in the view.

The spirit world was almost like a cartoon world, but it was so much more beautiful. It was so colorful and free and the spirits roamed around aimlessly without a care in the world. She had entered in a field of purple flowers. Giant lily pad plants stood high above her and blue mountains appeared in the distance. The sky was a vivid orange hue.

Riko quietly took it all in for a few minutes until a fox swiftly ran past her and into the physical world. She watched where it had ran and stared. Was that a Knowledge Seeker? Were they even still around? Her thoughts were interrupted when someone, or something, spoke up.

"Mhmm? Who might you be?" Riko jumped back uncharacteristically and turned around to see small lion-monkey hybrid spirit at her feet. "I've never seen you around before, but you seem familiar."

" _I-I_ seem familiar?! H-How?" Riko stuttered.

The spirit put a finger to his chin, deep in thought. "I dunno. Your presence just feels familiar."

"B-But I've never been to the spirit world before!" Riko answered.

The lion-monkey didn't seem to care. "Where have I felt this before? Hmmm…" Suddenly his eyes widened and he jumped back. "That's it! It feels like Avatar Korra!"

Riko stopped breathing. She knelt down to the ground. "I'm sorry, but just how is that possible?!"

The spirit smiled at her all of a sudden, as if he knew everything. "You're Riko Sato, correct?"

Riko's froze again. She slowly nodded a yes. The creature let out a toothy grin and began yelling at the other spirits. "Guys, this is Korra's daughter!"

And just like that, all of the spirits around them stopped what they were doing and tackled her into a giant hug. "Gah! Ahaha! Stop that tickles! Eep! Gahaha!"

After a minute of the spirit squishing her with their love, Riko finally managed to sit up as they began to back off. Her face was red with embarrassment. A purple dragonfly-bunny flew up to her and nuzzled against her cheek. She smiled happily as she rubbed its fur in return.

She looked at the lion-monkey questioningly. "So you're all okay with me being here?"

He continued to smile warmly at her. "Of course. Any friend of the Avatar's is always welcomed here, especially her family. We've been waiting to meet you for some time now."

Riko smiled back, but then looked down. She had a reason for coming here still and it made her nervous. She gulped before opening her mouth.

"D-Do you think I could ask you all a question?" Riko asked when she had the courage to look up at last.

The lion-monkey blinked. "Well go ahead. We will sure try to help you."

Riko twisted her mouth around, trying to figure out where to start. The dragonfly-bunny sat on her shoulder and the rest of the spirits all sat around her to hear what she had to say. "I've been having this really weird dream for a while. It started out with me fighting against the firebender who killed my parents, and it quickly turns ugly because he shows me my girlfriend all hurt and unconscious, and I go into a rage. But before I get too far, she wakes up, but she's still not okay because I see Raava's symbol glowing from her body and white light is pouring from her eyes. I try to crawl towards her, but I always wake up just before I manage to grab her."

Riko paused to gauge their reactions. Most of them look shocked or surprised. "What does it mean?" She desperately asked of them.

Some of the spirits were already floating away. The lion-monkey looked flabbergasted. "I-I don't know, Riko."

Rage began seeping through. "What do you mean you don't know? Why are all of the spirits disappearing then?!"

The lion-monkey spirit took on a solemn expression. "Riko, I don't know what you expected from us, but we are not as in tune to Raava as you think. She is a separate spirit, just like us. If she's trying to show you something, we won't be able to decipher it. I apologize for not being able to help you."

Before Riko could lash out at him, he disappeared in thin air. She growled and sat on the flowery ground in rage. Not even the spirits could help her!

The skies grew dark and Riko felt the air change. She gulped as it looked like it was about to storm.

"Riko, dear, stop letting your emotions show."

Riko jumped yet again since she showed up here and looked for the voice. She looked behind her and saw a middle-aged woman in red fire nation clothing walking towards her. She immediately recognized her, even though they had never met. Of course, the woman was the exact spitting image of Asami.

"Iroh told me that my granddaughter was visiting the spirit world."

Riko's eyes widened at the mention of 'Uncle Iroh.' Korra used to tell her bedtime stories of his exploits when she was a kid.

Riko quickly stood up and wiped off her pants to look presentable. She shyly looked up at Mrs. Sato. "So, do I get to call you grandma?"

The older woman laughed wholeheartedly. "I would hope so! Dear Riko you sure are something else! Come give your grandmother a hug!"

Riko smiled and the woman embraced her. She sighed happily as Asami's mother rubbed her head. Mrs. Sato pulled away, pointing to the sky. "Look up, dear."

She did as told and saw that the sky had returned to its natural orange state. "H-How?"

Mrs. Sato took Riko by the shoulders. "Here you have to be careful with your emotions, dear. Otherwise you could hurt our world."

" _I-I_ did that?" Riko asked, astounded.

"Yes, dear. You have to be careful. It took Korra a while to understand that."

Riko looked up at her at the sound of Korra's name. She blinked. "Now I see where Asami gets her height from." They laughed. "But Korra seems so in tuned to the spirits now."

Mrs. Sato laughed softly. "She wasn't always the most spiritual person. Avatar Korra actually had a lot of trouble connecting to the spirits at first."

Riko glanced away. "I came here because I was having dreams connected to Korra somehow."

Mrs. Sato smiled sadly. "I know. I overheard you talking. But the truth is we really can't help you. You're only gonna get your answer from Raava herself."

The earthbender gulped. "You mean…from Korra."

Mrs. Sato took a breath. "Yes, in a way. I'm not sure myself what it all means but that's your only hope."

"I think I'd rather go without having that conversation."

The Sato rose a brow. "Hm? Why's that?"

Riko scowled a bit. "The dream seems…ominous…yet renewing at the same time. I don't like it."

Mrs. Sato decided to keep her thoughts to herself this time. They stood in silence for a minute, gazing at the sky. "You know, you're a lot like Korra."

Riko couldn't help but to smile. "I've heard it a couple of times. But how do you think so?"

"You're both strong and determined. Not to mention hardheaded. You've both been through a lot, things that changed your lives forever… You both will leave a great impact on the world." Mrs. Sato said.

Riko was smiling until that last line. "No one has come up with that last reason yet."

"Good, I like to be original." Mrs. Sato said, smiling down at Riko. "But I do really mean that, Riko."

Riko eyed her. "Why'd you come looking for me?"

Mrs. Sato chuckled. "It wasn't hard with how the sky was changing and that alone was reason enough to come looking for you. But I've really wanted to meet you for some time now. I've heard so much about you."

Riko went wide-eyed. "How?! I mean…"

Mrs. Sato just smiled. "I hear Asami's prayers sometimes. She really worries about you a lot. They rarely visit, but when they do, it's just you and your brother and sister that they talk about. They love you all an awful lot."

Riko sighed. "I came here looking for answers, but I think I found closure instead."

Mrs. Sato smiled and hugged her. "That's good, Riko. You'll be better off."

* * *

When Riko stepped back into the physical world, it was almost midnight. The Spirit Portal glowed bright in the night sky, just like every night. She turned to stare at it a little longer, debating what her next step would be.

Maybe she could still go to the bar, just to catch up with Cato and the boys, and not to get drunk. Yeah, that's it. She'll head to the bar. She turned away from the portal at last and headed back into the city.

* * *

"Is Riko still out?" Korra asked Karina, who was sitting on the living room couch sadly. The waterbender nodded in response. Korra blinked in surprise and looked to the window. It had long since gone dark and now it was starting to rain heavily. She pursed her lips and left to find her wife.

Of course she found the nonbender in her office once again. Asami didn't even hear the Avatar come in and jumped when she felt arms wrap around her. She sighed in relief. "Korra, you scared me."

Korra smirked and purred in her ear. "We could be doing other things, but you insist on hiding yourself in your office."

Asami blushed. "Well you do it too sweetie. Don't act like I'm the only one who hides away every now and then." She glanced around her and carefully leaned in to kiss her wife. Korra happily returned the gesture and whipped Asami from her chair and spun her around the room. Asami pulled away and laughed as Korra twirled around the room with her in her arms.

Korra finally stopped in the center of the office. "Why'd you stop?" Asami asked in the midst of her giggles.

Korra sighed, but smiled a little. "You're making me forget what I came up here for."

Asami rose a brow. "And making out wasn't it?"

The Avatar chuckled. "No, not this time, as much as I want to. Riko still hasn't returned and it's been hours."

Asami's smiled disappeared as she listened to the rain pelt the house harder. "And the storm is getting worse. Do you think something happened to her?"

"Heh, knowing her, yes actually." Korra responded, gently releasing Asami from her grasp.

"My first thought would be that she's staying somewhere to get out of the rain, but then I remember that she doesn't have any friends outside of the family." Asami said.

"And that exactly proves my point." Korra replied.

"What are we still standing here for?!" Asami called, yanking Korra out of the room.

"Great! We're on the same page then!" Korra replied.

* * *

Riko downed a full glass of beer as the boys cheered for her to chug it. She slammed it down on the table and they all cheered even louder. Before they could order her another drink, she quickly excused herself.

"Boys, I've had a great night and all, *hic* but I didn't plan on drinking this much. I think I need to go home." Riko said, stumbling off of the barstool.

"Do you want one of us to walk you home? It's late out and it's starting to storm, Ms. Sato." Cato asked.

"Don't call me that. That's my mother's name." Riko growled. "I'll be fine, Cato. Thanks for the offer though. *hic* I'll see you boys some other time." Cato scowled, but let the young lass walk out of his tavern.

Riko was halfway home when she realized that she should've let Cato walk her home or at least stay at the bar for the night. The alcohol was finally reaching her system and combined with the rain chilling her to the bone, it made her trek home quite difficult. She sat under a porch to take a rest for a minute and then continued walking. She came across an intersection and had enough mind to still check for traffic. Even though it was quite late, there was still some cars out.

Riko waited for a passing car to drive on when it suddenly swerved. She realized that the car had lost control because of the rain and jumped to the side to dodge it. She managed to pull up a clumsy wall of earth to deflect it if hit her. She felt pain in her right arm and heard a loud crash. She crawled out from behind the wall carefully. The car had crashed into a nearby shop, having ricocheted off of her earth wall. She saw people wandering out from their houses and made a run for it. She didn't need anything else tainting the Sato name.

She finally made it home and was beginning up the long set of stairs to the front door. Her vision was blurring for good and she stumbled on the last step, slamming into the door. She felt sleepy and cold, and decided to sleep on the front porch for the night. Karina was probably still mad at her anyway. Her strength vanished and she fell unconscious.

* * *

Karina stood in the kitchen, debating whether or not to make something hot for Riko to eat when she returned. "Are you guys hungry?!" Karina yelled. The brother and sister on the couch replied with a resounding no. The older waterbender twisted her mouth. 'Okay then, so I'm just cooking for Riko I guess. Maybe Korra and Asami when they return…"

Karina stood in the center of the large kitchen quietly, thoughts running through her head. She was brought out of her reverie when something crashed outside loudly. She jumped and peered out into the front living room. Was it just thunder? No, Kohaku was standing up, ready to attack, and Nami was huddled up on the couch. Something definitely just slammed into the house.

No more sounds came, but Karina wanted to be sure no one else was around. She was, after all, taking care of the Avatar's children while the duo searched for Riko in town. She cautiously stepped towards the front door. She slowly opened the door and peeked out. It took her a moment to realize that there was a shadowy mass on the front porch. She looked beside the door for a light switch and turned on the front porch light. Then she gasped and went wide-eyed.

"Riko!" She screamed. She ventured out into the rain and quickly dragged her inside. Kohaku and Nami gasped in shock together when they recognize their sister. "Get towels! Quick!" Karina yelled at them. The duo ran off.

Karina laid her in front of the fireplace in hope to warm her up. The girl curled up in a ball again. That's when Karina smelled it, the scent of alcohol. Rage began to boil up in her, but she calmed it as the duo returned. She was able to pull some of the water out from her clothes before wrapping her up in towels. Riko shivered and huddled closer to her. Karina sighed and hugged her tight, her warm skin helping. She turned back to the siblings. "Try to contact your mothers. Let them know Riko came back home." Karina ordered calmly.

Soon a car screeched into the driveway and Naga could be heard running up the stairs. The couple barged into their house, looking for their daughter. Karina waved them over to the fireplace. They ran up and gasped when they saw her in Karina's arms. "Is she okay?" Asami asked.

Korra immediately went to check for injuries. "She's hurt." Her wound from the firefight with Oras was reopened and there was a bruise on her cheek.

Karina sighed. "I know, but she's been unconscious the whole time, so I haven't been able to ask what happened."

"It looks minor, but still! She could've gotten into serious trouble." Korra said. Karina grumbled. "Oh she's gonna be in trouble when she wakes up."

The Avatar looked up at her curiously. Asami understood her though. "She reeks of alcohol." That's when Korra noticed the scent and frowned. "Let's just get her warmed up in bed."

* * *

Early the next morning, someone knocked on their door. Asami answered it while Korra tiredly ate her breakfast. Mornings were evil. She heard the voice of their guest and groaned. 'Whyyyy?' She groggily walked into the foyer to greet the Chief-of-Police. "Good morning Korra."

"The mornings are evil, Lin. Why are you here so early? I'm supposed to be off today."

Lin sighed. "I was just following up on something from last night." Asami and Korra looked on with curiosity yet nervousness. "You found Riko last night, correct?"

"Yeah, well more like she returned home on her own, but yeah. Why? Did something happen?" Korra answered.

Lin rubbed her forehead with annoyance. "Have you talked to her about if anything happened to her last night?"

"No. She's been passed out." Korra replied.

Lin furrowed her brow and her voice dropped. "Wait, why's she passed out?"

Korra hesitated to answer, but Asami was happy to do it for her. "She got drunk and passed out on our front porch."

Lin blinked in astonishment and uncrossed her arms. "She did what?!"

Korra ran a hand through her hair and stomped away. This morning was truly being awful to her. But just as she turned, she saw Riko trying to sneak through the room. "Riko!"

The other two women looked over fast. Riko froze, clutching something to her face. In her mind she debated whether or not to run. However, she was still too messed up to get far and stayed put. Korra grabbed her and forced her to look at her. "What happened last night?"

Riko rose a brow. "What're you talking about? I got into a fight with Karina and so I got drunk. What more is there to that?" She still had enough mind to keep her trip to the spirit world a secret for now.

"But you're hurt." Korra stated. She lifted Riko's hand away from her face to show the icepack she was holding to her head and revealing her reopened wound.

"I was drunk, remember? I probably just fell or something."

"I'd go with 'or something'." Lin said, walking up to them. She pulled a handkerchief from her back pocket and Riko immediately recognized it.

She tried to hide her shock, but one question played into her mind. Where did Lin get that? "T-That could be anyone's. You trying to frame me for something?" Riko said.

Lin's face fell and she frowned. "No, Riko, I'm not trying to frame you for anything. I'm just concerned for the owner of this piece of cloth."

Asami turned to the older woman. "Why? What happened Lin?"

Lin sighed. "There were a few car accidents last night because of the storm. Well one of them involved a bystander, an earthbender presumably, because there was a large slab of earth sticking out of the ground, deflecting the car and projecting it into a nearby building. When my men answered the call, they found this bandana at the scene, and someone remembered seeing a teenager running away from the accident."

They all looked to Riko, but the only answer she had was to hang her head. Lin held out the bandana, and Riko took it nonetheless, signaling that it was in fact hers. "Are you okay, Riko?" Lin asked worriedly.

Riko pulled away the ice again and let Korra inspect her carefully. "It looks like your arm may be bruised as well, but I think you'll be fine."

"Karina's gonna try to heal it later, but she wanted me to pay first by dealing with it for a little while." Riko said.

"Rightly so." Korra said.

Asami mumbled behind them. "My next project's gonna be to work on better tire traction…"

"Don't tell Korra, please." Riko begged of her girlfriend while she focused on healing her wound.

"Why not? She'd be happy to know that you finally made it to the spirit world." Karina answered after listening to the full story. She was glad that Riko hadn't gone to the bar to purposely get drunk and that the accident was truly an accident.

"I know. I just…I can't have that conversation with her. I can't do it." Riko replied, hanging her head. "I don't think I could handle the answer right now."

Karina seemed to think for a minute. "You actually feel like you're calmer now, more at peace almost."

"I do feel more at peace, and I want to keep it that way. That's why you can't tell Korra. Please…"

Karina sighed. "Alright, I won't tell Korra until you're ready."

Riko looked up and grinned shyly. "Thank you."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Just as the waterbender finished healing her arm, Riko spoke up again. "I love you, Karina."

Karina jumped in her seat, shocked and wide-eyed. A deep blush formed on her cheeks as she eyed her girlfriend for sincerity. Riko didn't look away and actually turned red as well. In their two years of dating, Riko had never said those words to her, even though the water tribe native had said it a handful of times.

Karina pulled the earthbender into a tight hug. "I love you too, Riko. I'm sorry I was mad at you earlier."

"It's okay. I have been acting crazy lately, so I don't blame you for getting mad. Actually I thought you would outright leave me. I'm surprised that you haven't yet. I do make everyone's lives pretty hectic."

Karina didn't let her finish that thought and firmly grabbed her face, making the earthbender blink up at her. She quietly gasped when she saw Karina's eyes were glimmering with tears. "You really are an idiot, aren't you? There's no way that I'm leaving you, especially not after you finally said those three words to me." Karina cried.

Riko smiled and carefully brought her lips to hers. Karina moved her arms around her shoulders and deepened the kiss. They slowly wandered into the pillows and gasped for air. Karina tentatively placed a hand on the younger girl's cheek. Her other hand began drifting over her toned stomach. Riko giggled excitedly as they kissed once more.

Karina eventually pulled away again, breathless. "You know…since I've met you, Riko, I'd have to say that my life is _perfect_."


	33. Chapter 29 - Epilogue Part 1

After Riko's trip to the spirit world, she started becoming a much calmer person and learned to relax, with the help of Karina of course. Her mood swings settled down and that allowed her relationship with Karina to be at peace at last.

The sibling trio went back to pro-bending for a few years, earning the top seat after finally beating Tahno's team.

Riko shook her head free from the helmet as they returned to the locker room after winning yet another match. Kohaku cheered on happily, while as Nami looked like she had something on her mind. Riko noticed and approached her away from their brother. "Hey, are you okay?"

The youngest of them crossed her arms. "I've just been thinking a lot."

"About?" Riko asked curiously. Kohaku noticed that they weren't following him down the hall and came back to hear what was up.

"I'm quitting pro-bending."

"What?!" The older two yelled.

Nami sighed in frustration, knowing that they were going to react like this. "You guys know I'm the future CEO of Future Industries. I can't keep playing games with you two. I need to start working with momma."

Kohaku was about to retort but Riko slapped a hand over his mouth quickly. "You know Nami, I think you're right. Asami's counting on you. Just know that we're always here for you."

Nami nodded at her and walked past them. Kohaku tore himself away from her. "Why'd you tell her that?"

"It's the truth, isn't it? It's her choice really, but she's right."

Suddenly Riko felt someone wrap their arms around her and smiled. "You guys were fantastic tonight!" Karina exclaimed.

Riko smiled back confidently. "Thanks, babe."

Karina suddenly smirked at her and brought their lips together. Kohaku gagged and walked to the locker room. Riko pulled away hesitantly. "I'm surprised you're all over me tonight. I mean I'm still all sweaty and dirty. Why don't I go shower real quick in the locker room-"

Karina quickly cut her off by laying a finger on her lips. "Don't bother, because you're gonna get a lot more sweaty tonight. Oh and you can keep the uniform on."

Riko's eye lit up with eagerness. "Oh hell yes! Let's get out of here!" With her girlfriend still in her arms, she quickly ran out of the building and rushed back home.

A few weeks later, Riko quit pro-bending as well, following her sister's lead to start taking charge of her own life. The press had a field-day with that, just like anything that happens in their family. She then started at the police academy and eventually became Mako's top detective. Her family still remembered the graduation ceremony like it was yesterday.

* * *

Riko stood nervously, waiting her turn for her name to be called up to the stage. She had finally made it through that forsaken academy and was taking a big step in her life. Suddenly Mako called out her name on the microphone. She gulped and walked to the stage. But when she got to the stage, it wasn't Mako handing over her certificate, it was Lin Bei Fong. Riko smiled brightly and walked as fast as possible without seeming too eager. Lin made a special appearance just for her. The former chief handed her the parchment and then something flashed all of a sudden. Lin chuckled as they saw Asami eagerly holding a camera in the crowd and snapping photos. Korra put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. The two earthbenders looked back at each other and Lin quickly brought her in for a hug. "You did it, kid. I'm so proud of you." Lin whispered. Riko forced herself to hold in the waterworks and took her spot among the other officers.

After that Riko and Karina moved out together and got their own apartment. And not too long after that and with a lot of hard work, Riko finally popped the question.

* * *

Karina quickly covered her face and tears rolled down her cheeks before she had a chance to stop them. Riko had offered to take her out on a date since they both had gotten off of work early tonight. They had gone to Kwong's and then took a romantic walk on the boardwalk by the harbor. She had never expected the earthbender to pull something like this. But here she was, kneeling on one knee, head bowed, presenting a betrothal necklace in her hands to her. Carved into it was a waterfall crashing into the boulders below.

Riko gulped. Karina had gone silent. Did she not like it? Or did she not want to get married yet? Maybe she didn't want to get married at all! Thoughts started running through her head, but Karina quickly put a stop to it with a kiss.

Karina saw the turmoil on the girl's face and knew she had to reply quickly. So she hurriedly tackled her in a hug and kissed her.

Riko hadn't even realized that they were on the ground now, pretty much making out on the harbor in public. She quickly pulled away with a gasp. "So that's a yes?!"

"Yes of course! Ten times over again!" Karina replied, kissing her again, not caring if the sailors were watching.

Two years later, it was Karina's turn to pop a question.

* * *

Riko had come home late once again and trudged to bed. She peeled her armor off and slid into bed with her new wife, who had been home for a few hours waiting for her.

"You got caught up again, did you?"

Riko blinked. "I thought you were asleep. But yeah, Mako left a whole thing of paperwork for me to do."

"It's okay, dear. I was just beginning to worry. This is one of your latest nights so far."

"Yeah well I have a feeling it's only going to get worse." Riko groaned, planting her face into the pillow. Karina carefully climbed up onto her back, taking the opportunity to give the woman a massage. "Sweetie, you don't have to do that. I'm fine." Riko said.

"Shush. I can take care of you if I want to, so relax." Karina argued, pressing her palms into Riko's tense back. She groaned in pain as the waterbender rubbed out the tense knots in her back. "I think I need to do this more often, because you're as tense as I've ever seen you."

"Well," Riko mumbled. "Maybe once in a while wouldn't be so bad I guess."

Karina smiled in victory. "Thank you, baby. Now hold still. You've got a really bad knot here."

Riko yelped in pain as Karina rubbed on her back harder. "Sorry hun!" Riko couldn't take much more of it and asked Karina to stop for a while. "Are you feeling okay? I didn't mean to hurt you."

Riko chuckled tensely. "It's okay. It's not your fault, it's my work that does it to me."

Karina nodded sadly and cuddled up to her as best as she could in their current position. The room went silent for many minutes. Karina slowly leaned up and began rubbing her back much softer. "How's that?"

Riko sighed happily. "That's good, right there."

Karina smiled slightly, knowing that she was bringing Riko pleasure in some manner or another. The question still lingered on her mind though.

"I know it's really late, but there's something I want to talk about." Karina gulped.

Riko felt her wife tense up and forced herself to turn on her back to face her. "I like speaking face-to-face." Riko said before Karina could retort.

Karina sighed and decided to rub the earthbender's shoulders instead. It went silent again.

"Karina?"

"Hmm?"

"What is it?"

Karina took a deep breath before continuing. "Riko… We've been together for ten years, married for two. I think it might be time to take the next step."

Riko rose a brow. What could come after getting married?

Karina gulped again, but managed to stutter out the question. "C-Can we have a kid?"

* * *

"Like the cycle of the seasons, the cycle of the Avatar begins anew. Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world. And that's the legend of Korra…" Riko finished. The little girl in the bed clutched to the blanket tightly, curling up for the night. Riko chuckled quietly when she noticed that she had finally fallen asleep.

She heard someone come in through the front door and quietly removed herself from the small bed. "Hey, you had a long night I'm guessing."

"I'm so sorry, Riko!" Karina whisper-yelled. "There was a big emergency and you know there aren't many waterbenders working in the hospital yet. I wasn't going to be able to pick Olivia up from school!"

Riko smiled gently, hands tucked in her pockets. "I know, sweetie. I understand."

Karina paused. "Is she asleep?"

"Yep, just finished telling her another one of Korra's great adventures." Riko grinned, finally getting her wife to smile too.

"She loves those stories."

"I know, that's why I tell them to her." Karina rose a brow jokingly. "Okay, okay, I enjoy retelling them. You got me." Riko said.

In the many years that came after the Sato children moved out, much has changed in the city. Nami was actively working with Asami to keep the company running, producing new technology every day. Kohaku was working on his pro-bending career, while also helping the many orphans of the Earth Kingdom with his winnings. And Riko? Well, Riko became Chief-of-Police and was leading Republic City into a new era.

And Avatar Korra and Asami Sato couldn't be any more proud of them. The city was in great hands…

.

.

.

.

.

Young Olivia drudged out of class, waiting for her restless classmates to finish running out of the door. Once she made it through the front door, she looked through the midst of families in search of either of her mothers. Who knew which one was picking her up today? They both had extremely busy jobs. Maybe it would be one of those days were Grandma Korra would pick her up instead.

Then the unmistakable mark of the metalbending police appeared through the front gate. Olivia smiled wide and ran down the steps, racing towards her mom.

Riko smiled as she bent down to grab her daughter and swung her around in her arms. "Hey chief, how was school?"

Olivia kept smiling happily. "Great! Now c'mon Chief, let's blow this popsicle stand!" She hollered.

Riko laughed happily, throwing her daughter on her shoulders. "Whatever you say, kid." With her daughter on her shoulders, she began the trek towards their apartment, disappearing into the horizon.


	34. Chapter 30 - Epilogue Part 2 THE END?

Riko quickly jumped into the shower to clean up after a long day of work. She had stayed up all night in the office to catch up on paperwork. Karina was still asleep in bed and she hoped to surprise her by preparing breakfast. She stealthily hopped out of the shower and rushed to throw on a pair of sweatpants, even though she was still sopping wet. She hung the towel over her shoulders and raced to the kitchen. The water is just beginning to boil when Riko sensed that Karina was waking up. Memories from years ago began replaying in her mind.

* * *

 _Riko rushed up the stairs that led to her apartment. As she reached her door, she heard childish giggling from inside. She sighed in relief and opened the door. She blinked in confusion once she got inside, though. The apartment went silent and no one was in sight. She peered around the living room. She heard giggling in one of the other rooms, followed by a 'shh' sound, and grinned. She didn't activate her sensing ability, deciding to play along. Her boots rapped against the floorboard as she cautiously made her way through. She passed the kitchen and walked into Olivia's room. "Hmm, I thought for sure Korra would've been back by now with Olivia. I wonder where they are…" Riko goaded._

 _A giggle erupted from the closet and she heard some shuffling from inside. She inched closer, reaching for the handle. The door burst open and out dove the Avatar, tackling her. "Gah, mom?!"_

 _Riko fell to the floor, being double-teamed on by Korra and Olivia. The duo eagerly laughed. "Well, it looks like we took down the Chief-of-Police, huh Olivia-dear?"_

 _The young earthbender giggled and high-fived her grandmother. Riko finally managed to get up and swooped up the girl in her arms. "Well that was some trick, Korra." Riko said, smiling._

 _Korra smiled back more. "It's my responsibility to brighten up the lives of both of my badgermoles, right?"_

* * *

When she walked out, Karina was greeted by the sight of Riko's scarred back and graying hair. She paused, thinking about how much the earthbender had been through in her life. But then she realized what her wife was doing and smiled. She had a feeling the Chief was doing this on purpose seeing as her sweatpants came considerably low on her waist and she hadn't bother drying off.

Riko smirked in victory when Karina finally wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "You should do this more often." Karina purred.

"What?" Riko laughed.

"This topless cooking thing you got going on. It's pretty effective so far." Karina hummed, laying her lips on the others.

"Even if I'm a lousy cook?" Riko chuckled out.

"It's the thought that counts, right?" Karina mumbled before pressing her lips back into hers. Riko smirked, knowing what her wife was thinking, and lifted her off of the ground. Karina wrapped her legs around her waist, giggling in the process. Riko smiled and kissed her, setting her against the counter. Things were about to get really heated when suddenly a knock came on their door. They didn't notice the frantic knocking until the boiling water began screaming.

"Gah, shit! Oh man, now I have to start over." Riko groaned.

Karina laughed as she slid through Riko's grasp. "It's the thought that counts remember? Now go get dressed! Someone's here!"

Riko finally heard the panicked knocking and rushed back into the bedroom to find clothes more suitable for guests. She emerged just in time to see their full-grown daughter standing in the doorway looking quite panicked.

"Mom, we have a serious problem! Tadashi is doing things that aren't supposed to happen! You said you didn't even know if we'd have another one! But he's doing those things! I can't handle this! I don't know what to do! He can't be-"

Karina swiftly grabbed ahold of her daughter by the shoulders. "Sweetie, calm down! What in the world are you talking about?"

Riko watched from a few feet away. Her heartrate began to accelerate, a nagging feeling biting the back of her mind. That's when she saw her small grandson hiding behind his mother's leg. He had short brown hair and green eyes. The young boy had just started school and he was abnormally shy. Luckily when he started earthbending, the Chief took it upon herself to help teach him alongside his mother.

Olivia took a shaky breath and then pulled her son out from hiding. "Tadashi dear, you need to show your grandmothers what you showed me, okay?"

The older couple watched and waited. Tadashi stood nervously in the middle of their living room, thinking about how to show them. He looked around for something to use so he wouldn't destroy their property. For such a young kid, he was pretty smart.

He noticed that his grandma the Chief was still wet from rushing out of the shower. He smiled as he got into a stance. It threw Riko off, because the kid was an earthbender, but that's not what he did.

Tadashi produced a small gust of air, somewhat drying off the Chief. Riko and Karina stood frozen on the spot in amazement. Their earthbending grandson just airbended. There was no possible way! Tadashi was…

Riko smiled wider than ever. Everything made sense now. Those dreams from her teenage years that she had long since forgotten about made perfect sense. Her and Karina's lineage would bring in the next…

"He's the Avatar!" Riko yelled, bringing the boy into her arms. She spun him around the room a couple of times, laughing happily with her grandson. All of a sudden she stopped and the two just stared into each other's eyes. Riko hugged the boy tight, resting his head onto her shoulder. Running her fingers through his short hair, tears began clouding her vision. "Korra…"

Karina smiled sadly and carefully took their grandson. Riko quickly wiped the tears away. "Sorry… Olivia, this is great news!"

"Don't get me wrong, I am happy! But you guys said that there wasn't going to be another Avatar!" Olivia responded.

Riko went deep into thought. She started smiling as she began explaining. "Yeah, Korra did technically end the last Avatar cycle. I guess that means that Tadashi starts the new Avatar cycle."

Karina looked at her wide-eyed. "You mean…"

Riko's smile turned into a happy laugh. "Tadashi's the new Avatar!"

* * *

This story is about a child who lost her parents to firebenders, only to be saved from certain death by the two most powerful women in the world later. A child who protected her new siblings at whatever the cost. A girl who suffered loss over and over again, but was kept rooted to the ground by her new family. An earthbender who eventually found love even while in the darkest hour. A Sato who battled through the ranks to become Chief-of-Police. A woman who would bring in the next Avatar.

This is the story about a young jungle girl who grew up to be one of the most influential people of her time.

* * *

 **Yep, this is the end. If you liked it (or didn't like it), please leave a review about the story as a whole. I'd really appreciate it!** **I know it ended kinda abruptly, but I didn't have anything else for the story. I was burning out. Remember I wrote this several months ago, I only started uploading it here to spread out to a new audience. (FYI, I don't normally upload that quickly.) BUT, here's the good news: I'm working on a sequel! The thing is, it's about the next Avatar and the Sato family teaching him. Korra and Asami will appear, just not a whole lot. There will be a lot of Riko and the rest of the family. On my other site views haven't really been coming in like I had hoped so I feel as if it might not be worth all the trouble. I am going through writer's block too at the moment. If you'd like to see a sequel, let me know! I'll still upload what I have so far but I'm just going through some things at the moment.**


	35. The Sato Legacy - Preview

**A/N: I originally wrote this back in April to promote the sequel on my other site. Just pretend it's April 1st, it'll make more sense.  
**

* * *

 _Ring ring!_ Riko groggily woke up, barely opening her eyes. She casually reached over her wife and picked up the phone. Sometimes she wondered why phones were allowed to work so early in the morning. "Hey kid, where's that report?" Lin asked over the phone.

Riko sat straight up in bed. "Ummmm, I have it! I ummm, just need toooo-"

"I don't want to hear it Riko. Just have it on my desk by the end of the day." _Click!_ Riko blinked, then sighed and flopped back down onto the bed.

"Get up, sweetie." Karina groaned at her.

"Noooo, I don't wannaaaaa…" Riko groaned back, pulling the blanket above her head. Karina sighed loudly and sat up before yanking the blanket off of her head.

"You have to get up. I heard Lin on the phone and you have to get her that report today. You know what happened last time you were late with a report." Karina said.

Riko cringed at the memory. "Alright, alright, I'll get up." Riko sat on the edge of the bed but didn't get up. Karina sighed and moved over to push her off of the bed. Riko smiled and dropped her weight on her.

"Ugh, Riko! C'mon! You're almost done the report! You just have to deliver it!" Karina urged.

Riko laughed as Karina tried to push her dead weight off of her. She abruptly sat up, making Karina fall back onto the bed. "Fine, I'm getting ready."

Riko had just finished cleaning up and putting on her uniform when she froze in the middle of the room. Karina poked her head out from the covers. "Sweetie, is something wrong?"

Sweat began to roll down Riko's cheek. "Ummm, I forgot where I put the papers."

Karina jumped back out of bed. "Riko!"

"I'm sorry! Don't get out of bed! I'll find it!" Riko urged, waving her arms frantically.

"No because I don't want Lin to beat the shit out of you for losing another report." Karina replied, running to the bathroom to get ready.

Riko groaned and ran out to her office in the apartment. She shuffled through the papers for several minutes and still couldn't find it. Karina eventually joined her in the office and helped scan the stacks of papers for her report.

"Ugh, it's not here! Maybe I left it at mom's!" Riko exclaimed, running out of the room. Karina continued looking through the desk even after Riko left. After a few more minutes, the waterbender gave up. She decided to venture into the kitchen to make breakfast. She rounded the corner and blinked in shock. She then sighed and smacked her forehead. "Oh, Rikoooo…" She then grabbed something off of the counter and ran out the door.

* * *

Asami opened the front door and blinked when her eldest daughter ran through the door. "Riko?"

"Ah, mom! Sorry, I lost my report!"

"Um well Korra's still asleep. It's her day off, but she could help you." Asami said.

"No it's okay! I'll let her sleep in. Besides I think I can find it on my own."

Asami sighed and pulled her purse over her shoulder. "Okay, well I'm headed to work. Just call if you need something."

Riko nodded and ran off towards Korra's office. After a few minutes of searching, the office door swung open, surprising the earthbender. She blinked when she saw her sister. "Nami? What're you doing here?"

The younger girl yawned and took a sip of her coffee. "I was up all last night helping mom with a new invention. It got so late out that I just stayed the night."

"Oh, that makes sense actually… Well I lost my report! Have you seen it?" Riko asked.

Nami stifled another yawn. "No I haven't seen it. I was too busy."

Riko continued shuffling through Korra's office before giving up eventually. "Gah! It's not here either! Where did I leave it?"

Riko then scoured the rest of the mansion for her papers. Nami sat in the kitchen sipping her coffee and watched her sister run around the house like a maniac. "Are you sure it's not back at your apartment?" Nami asked when she ran by again.

"No! I already tore the apartment apart looking for it! Ugh!" Riko exclaimed. She stopped in the kitchen entrance hanging her head. "I'm just going to have to start over. I don't know where it is."

A cough interrupted her from behind. Riko looked back and jumped when she saw her wife. "Karina? What're you doing here?"

Karina simply smiled at her. "Well, I may or may not have found your papers."

Riko jerked the papers out of her hands hiding behind her back. "You found them?! Oh spirits, thank you! Now Lin won't kill me! I have to run to work now since I'm late." Riko kissed her on the cheek and ran out the front entrance.

After she had disappeared, Karina started laughing. Nami rose a brow. "What's so funny?"

"Do you realize what today is?" Karina asked. Nami just shook her head. Karina laughed even harder. "Oh spirits, Riko is going to kill me when she gets home."

Nami began to smile. "You tricked her, didn't you?" Karina just kept on laughing.

* * *

Riko barged through the police station and ran to Lin's office. "Chief! I-I mean Officer Lin, I have your report!"

Lin looked up from her desk. "Well it's about time! I called three hours ago. Just lay it on that pile."

Riko began to do as ordered, but suddenly noticed that the papers seemed lighter than before. She frowned and flipped through the first page to look at it one last time. She instantly blanched. This wasn't her report. She bit her lip. Karina tricked her, and now Lin was going to go after her again. She sighed and simply dropped the paper onto the stack and walked out.

Lin rose a brow when Riko uncharacteristically sighed and walked out. She decided to look at her report to see if something was up. Immediately her face turned red with rage, but not at Riko. Well, maybe a little bit, but more at her waterbending wife.

 _Hi sweetie (and Lin)_

 _I hope you have a great day. Tell me how angry Lin was when you dropped this off to her. This is payback for what you did last week. And besides, it's a special day if you didn't realize. Don't worry. I have the real copy. I found it safe and sound on the kitchen counter. I guess you forgot you put it there so you wouldn't lose it. Ironic, right? Anyway, Riko will bring the real copy to you tomorrow, Lin. My apologies for interrupting your oh so busy schedule._

Riko had almost made it to the exit when Lin yelled out. "Riko!" The younger woman dashed for the exit. "Don't let this happen again!"

"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

Back at their apartment, Karina had her legs propped up on the edge of the couch while she read through her wife's report. She flipped back to the front page and smiled. "Interesting report Riko. I can't wait for you to deliver it tomorrow." She then chuckled. "Happy April Fools' Day!" She leisurely tossed the stapled pack of papers onto the coffee table. On the front page of it there was a title: _The Sato Legacy!_


	36. October Update

Hi everyone! It's been a long time since I've been around.

Currently, I'm very busy with school. Taking 6 classes means there's a lot more bad days than good ones. It's been a rough two months. My computer busted last week and I had to buy a new screen. Then this week someone decided to throw a rock at my car windshield. Luckily it got repaired today.

Anyway, I got invited to an online writing contest and I'd really appreciate it if you could go there and vote for "The Waterbender's Love and the Mechanic's Passion" story. I'm surprised that so many people still continue to find my work and actually _like it_. I look back on it now and see things I could have done better but that's part of the process. I'm going to continue to learn and get better. Maybe one day I'll be good enough to actually publish. Who knows...?

So the link to the contest website is in (slash) fandom. Just go to and click fanfiction contest at the top. If you then click "Latest," you should see mine since I just posted it . I don't know all of the details to the contest since I just read the invite this evening, but I'd really love it if it got some love over there. :)


	37. Chapter 5-3 First Snow (Bonus Scene)

Riko stared intently through the window. Her breath fogged up the glass. She had been watching Naga lately in order to see the signs that she wanted. Speaking of which, Naga was curled up behind her to keep the child warm.

Asami wandered into the foyer where her new daughter was sitting at the front window. She laughed good-naturedly and kneeled to her side. "Winter isn't here yet, Riko."

The young child smiled eagerly. "No, but I've been watching Naga and she's getting antsy."

Asami peered over to the polar bear-dog and realized that she too was staring out of the window in anticipation. She chuckled and ruffled both of their heads. "Well it's time for dinner. C'mon. The chef made Korra's favorite so she's already waiting at the table."

Riko turned around with a smile and raced Naga to the dining room. Asami watched in amusement and slowly followed after them.

"It's about time! I almost started without you!" Korra hollered when Asami finally joined them.

* * *

It was late in the night when Riko felt the comfort of Naga's warm body leave her bed. A cold chill coursed through her back at the disappearance of her source of warmth. Naga had been sleeping in her bed in order to keep her warm in the coming winter months. The beast was such a mother. However, Riko paid little mind to the animal leaving her room. Sometimes Naga left to get water from her bowl. She could usually hold in her need to use the bathroom since she's such a large creature but she did need out sometimes during the night.

Riko quickly began falling back asleep, but then she heard distant barking from downstairs. She internally knew she should be concerned but she cared too much about her sleep. She didn't want to get up without the comfort of Naga next to her. She heard footsteps tap down the stairs to see what the commotion was. After a few minutes, the footsteps started back up the stairs and headed to her room, but she was already back to sleep.

Someone gently shook her shoulder to wake her up. "Riko, c'mon! You have to see this!"

The earthbender barely opened her eyes enough to faintly see her mother standing over her with her coats and boots in hand. Riko rose a brow but nonetheless dragged herself out of bed to allow the Avatar help her dress for the cold. Korra was smiling excitedly and threw the child onto her back after she was ready. Riko wanted to go back to sleep and laid her head on the tan shoulder in front of her. She was suddenly awoken when a cold wind swam through her hair. She shivered and opened her eyes. What she saw woke her up immediately. She smiled brightly and squirmed in Korra's hold until she let her go.

Naga was already running around, happy to be back in her element. Wide-eyed at the sight before her, she tentatively stepped into the white fluff that had fallen to the ground from the sky. She laid her palm out before her and watched flakes drop into her hand and melt instantly from her body heat. She lifted her boot to see that it left an imprint on the ground.

"Is this…"

Her adoptive parents smiled happily. "It's snow!" Korra exclaimed.

Riko couldn't smile any wider and spun around to take in her new environment. Korra ran ahead and chased after Naga, who was pouncing in the growing snow piles. The Avatar was still a child at heart. The earthbender could hardly belief what she was experiencing. The Fire Nation had always been extremely hot, so hot that even the ocean waters were warm and it was a chore just to walk to the market without some sort of shade. This… This was something else entirely. It was like the world's heat completely evaporated into… It was hard to put into words for the girl since it was her first time experiencing winter. She just knew that it was something totally different that anything she had ever felt before.

Asami saw the thoughts and questions forming in the young girl's mind. She watched patiently from the patio to see what she would do. She had been so eager for snow, but what did she think of it now that it was here?

After a few minutes of taking in all of this new information, Riko looked around to see what her family was doing. Korra was sliding all over the snow with Naga. She turned her head and saw Asami drinking hot tea from the patio. The pale woman waved at her. Riko pouted and looked back to the tanner of the couple. Korra and Naga were now wrestling in the snow. She looked back to the CEO, who quirked a brow as in to ask what she was doing.

A lightbulb went off in Riko's head and she hopped to the older woman. For a minute, Asami thought the girl didn't like the snow, but the she took her hand and pulled her towards their family. Asami giggled at the thought that Riko wouldn't like snow. Of course she would, she was an adventurous child. Though Riko had pulled her into the yard, she didn't know what people did with snow. Asami noticed the girl's hesitance and nudged her with her elbow. The earthbender looked up questionably. "Watch this." Asami whispered. The woman leaned down and grabbed a handful of snow, carefully smoothing it to make a ball. She nudged her head to Korra, trying to communicate with Riko. A sly smirk made its way across Riko's face as she understood what her mother was saying. She quickly copied and prepared her arm. Asami counted down on her fingers before they both simultaneously threw their snowballs at the Avatar.

"Gah!" Korra fell over, not expecting a mass of snow to suddenly hit her. She looked around and saw Asami smirking at her and Riko jumping from foot-to-foot nervously yet excitedly. She smiled and confidently stood up. "Oh, is this what we're playing now? I think you picked a fight with the wrong Avatar!"

Asami quickly grabbed Riko and hid behind a tree while Korra gathered up snow. The duo compiled as many snowballs as possible before Korra was ready. The Avatar thought about using her bending but knew it would put her at an even greater advantage than what she already had. She held an armful of snowballs and search through the yard for where the girls wandered to. She heard a small giggle behind a tree and smirked as she approached it. Just as she was about to round the tree, a snowball landed on her head from behind her. She whipped around to see Asami leaning out from behind another tree. When Korra tried to throw once again, another snowball smashed against her back. She turned around and saw Riko running to another tree. Again and again, Korra's attempts to attack were futile as the duo kept taking turns throwing and hiding. Eventually Korra caught her daughter and swung her in her arms as the child cheered loudly.

"Aha! I've got you now! Give up, Asami! I have Riko captive!" Korra announced. A few rustles could be heard before Naga stepped forward. Korra's smile dropped and she stepped back. "Oh no, Naga. Don't you dare…" Naga growled playfully before charging. Korra quickly dropped the young earthbender before the polar bear-dog pounced on her. "Gah! I surrender!" Naga's wet tongue licked up and down her face, chilling her skin. "Naga, stop! I'm freezing!" Suddenly more weight was thrown on top of her as her family pounced as well. Eventually they settled down next to each other and laughed. Riko sighed happily. Asami glanced up to her fiancée and smiled. Korra's joy brought on by having a family exuberated from her. Asami leaned up and lovingly kissed her to share her overwhelming joy. Korra pressed closer into her. Riko gagged and crawled away. The couple pulled away and laughed. They sat there staring into each other's eyes until a cold shiver ran up Asami's spine. Korra glanced over to Riko and saw that she was holding herself to keep warm. Seems the cold was finally starting to register in her mind. The Avatar chuckled and helped them all to their feet. "C'mon, I think we should go back to our warm bed. We can play more tomorrow." Korra added the last bit when she saw Riko about to retaliate. The earthbender sighed and followed her.

* * *

Riko fell right back to sleep as soon as she laid down in Korra's arms. She was apparently so warm that it soothed the girl right to sleep. The Avatar grinned down at the sleeping girl. This was what she had always wanted: a family. Asami leaned her head on her fiancée's arm and rubbed Riko's back. "Aren't you cold?"

Korra shrugged. "Nah, not really. The South is still worse than this."

Asami chuckled and cuddled closer to her. "Good, because I need you to warm me up too."

Korra smiled and adjusted their daughter to lay on her left so Asami could curl up on her right. Having a family felt so right in that moment. The two people she loved the most were curled up in her arms in bed. The couple shared a goodnight kiss and started dozing off. Riko slid further up Korra's body to tuck her head underneath her neck. "I've always wanted a mother to hold me like this…" She breathed into Korra's neck.

Tears sprung to Korra's eyes and she hugged the child tighter. "I'll never let you go, Riko. You don't have to worry about losing your parents anymore."

Asami tightened her hold on Korra's arm as her emotions were beginning to show too. She gingerly ran her hand through the earthbender's damp hair. "You're safe now, Riko."


	38. Chapter 7-3 Official (Bonus Scene)

"Riko…" Someone whispered. "Riko." Riko shivered as she woke up to ward off the cold air seeping through her thick blanket. "Riko!"

"Ugh, what?!" Riko pulled herself upright and glared at her brother.

An eager smile was splayed across his face. "It's time!"

Riko rose a brow until she slowly remembered what day it was. She gasped and quietly jumped out of her bed. "Let's go!"

Two pairs of light footsteps rushed down the mansion stairway. They gasped and stood in awe of the ginormous tree in their living room. They had helped put it up a few days prior. What surprised them were the wrapped gifts laying underneath.

"Should we wait?" Riko asked.

Kohaku scoffed. "No! If they want to sleep Christmas away I say let them! I want to see what the Spirit of Joy brought us!"

Riko shrugged and sat down next to her brother who had already picked up a present. She pouted at the thought of her mothers missing out but she didn't want Kohaku to have all of the fun.

* * *

Korra felt the bed shift as her wife climbed into bed much later than what she had promised. "I thought you were just going to finished signing a few papers and come to bed." Korra muttered sleepily.

"You should know by now that that means I'll be in my office all night." Asami answered.

Korra groaned and rolled over to face her. "But it's Christmasss!"

"I'll make it up to you, dear." Asami whispered and rested her head on Korra's shoulder.

"You can make it up right now." Korra said.

Asami had no choice but to sit up again as Korra got out of bed. The Avatar threw the blanket off of her and stood beside the bed after turning on a lamp. Asami was about to lay back down when something caught her eye. "What is _that_?"

Korra began to laugh. "Your Christmas present, of course!"

"That has to be the most ridiculous gift I've ever gotten." Asami responded with a laugh of her own. Korra had an incredible sense of humor but this was craziest thing she'd done yet. Korra was wearing customized boxers that said _'Property of Asami Sato'_ all over it in big stamp letters.

"Aren't you going to claim your prize?" Korra goaded eagerly.

Asami chuckled and leaned on her elbow. "Actually I kinda like seeing you in them. It's reassuring in a sexy way."

Korra blushed and rubbed her neck. "I actually did get you something. Hold on." The Avatar rummaged through her nightstand and pulled out a square box. "Here."

She handed it to Asami who rose a brow. "It's not my own customized underwear, is it?"

Korra laughed. "No, I didn't think that'd go over well with you, so I thought of something else."

Asami blinked as she pulled out blue material. She flipped it over until she saw letters on the front of what she figured out was a shirt. She laughed and glanced over to her lover who looked a little nervous. " _Don't mess with me because my girlfriend is the Avatar_?"

Korra pouted. "I thought it sounded cute at the time."

Asami smiled reassuringly. "I love it Korra. It's really sweet actually."

Korra sighed in relief and sat back down with her. "So are we going to just keep appreciating our new clothes or are we going to take them off?"

Asami laughed and pushed her away. "Right now? As much as I love your new boxers, I'm tired and I have a feeling the kids are going to get up early to open their presents."

Korra pouted then sighed. "Alright, I guess so." Suddenly they heard the pitter-patter of young children's feet dashing through the hall. "Welp, I guess we're opening presents first and then sleeping." Korra mumbled and put on some sweatpants.

Asami huffed tiredly and followed after her wife.

* * *

Riko had just picked up a box when a voice called out over the balcony overhead. "Were you two gonna start without us?!"

Both children simultaneously looked above them in surprise. Korra rested her head in her palm which leaned on the banister. Asami sleepily came up from behind her and rose a brow at their children.

The siblings glanced at each other. "Um, we were just going to sort through them!" Kohaku lied.

"Lies get you nowhere, children." Asami responded. She glanced over to her wife and continued to be proud of Korra for overcoming her inner demons as she remained strong even when she knew memories were replaying in her head.

Both kids hunkered down in shame. "We're sorry." They chimed in together.

Asami smiled and tugged Korra to follow her. "Now that we're all here, let's begin!"

Everyone smiled and began passing around gifts. The new parents tried not to spoil their children but knew they deserved to have an incredible Christmas after everything they'd been through, which led to the last gift that wasn't even under the tree. The children were playing with their new toys when Korra stood up.

"There's one more present."

Riko and Kohaku tilted their heads. "No, there's not any more under the tree."

Korra chuckled and walked out temporarily. Asami chimed in, "It's a special gift we were saving for the both of you."

They blinked but waited patiently for Korra's return. The tan woman returned with a lean box in her hand. "It's for the both of you so open it together."

Riko rose a brow and Kohaku confusingly took the box from their mother. He glanced to his sister who shrugged and started ripping the paper off with him. She furrowed her brow when the box revealed several papers inside. She began reading them and realized what it was with a gasp. Tears were falling from Kohaku's eyes as he gave her the first set of papers and hastily grabbed his papers. It was for real with stamps and signatures and everything.

 _'_ _Kohaku Sato.'_

He couldn't believe his eyes. He abruptly stood on his feet and hugged the closest mother to him. Korra smiled sadly and leaned down to hug him in return. He soon went to hug his other mother. Sobs wracked his body and Asami enveloped him in a motherly bear hug. Korra looked to her daughter who was still in shock and sat down next to her to pull her into her lap to hug her. Quiet sobs emitted from her chest. "K-Korra?"

"It's okay, sweetheart."

"Is this for real?"

Korra nodded and squeezed her harder. "Yes, it's real. You both are now official members of the Sato family."

"Thank you!" Kohaku cried from Asami's shoulder.

Both women smiled sadly as their children rejoiced in having a real family once again.

* * *

The family huddled together in the bed of the master suite. Asami smiled at the sight of their official children cuddling up to them as sleep finally took them for the night. She glanced up at her wife and noticed her smile. "What?"

"We didn't get to finish what we started earlier." Korra answered.

Asami scoffed. "We are not talking about this right now."

"I'm not saying right now, just reminding you of your last present for later."

Asami blushed and smacked her wife with a pillow. "You are so juvenile sometimes."

"Hey, you still love me." Korra responded as she shielded herself from the pillow.

The CEO rose a brow but Korra just smiled. They leaned over at the same time and had one last kiss before falling asleep. "I do love you Korra and I'm so happy with our family."

* * *

 **A/N: My piece for the Korrasami anniversary even though I know I'm late. Also inspired by the video of foster children getting adopted for Christmas.**


End file.
